Worlds Within Worlds
by emptyvoices
Summary: Sara Thomas believed she escaped the Time Lord Victorious by arriving in the same reality of Penelope Elaine Carter back in the year 2006 where they didn't believe the Doctor at all existed in that reality. But they were to find themselves gravely mistaken. Will their sanity survive? Linked to 'Living Fiction'. A crossover between Lost in Time and The Stars Burn Down.
1. Crossing Over

**Author's Note: **As promised, this story will be our link to that of 'Living Fiction'. We can't reveal all the details yet but promise they will soon make themselves apparent. It is a complete retelling starting from essentially scratch of Sara Thomas and Penny Carter meeting the Doctor in Penny's dimension for the first time. We (Fan Fictional Authoress and I) hope you enjoy it.

"Then take me with you, Lord President. Let me ascend into glory." The Master knelt before Rassilon with his arms outstretched. He had taken to pleading with the Time Lord in front of him. Sara felt disgust riddle through her.

It was indeed the 'End of Time' and Sara was supposed to…she hardly knew what she was supposed to do anymore when she looked at the Time Lords that occupied the room. She wished fervently she never laid eyes on that show and didn't know what she knew.

Rassilon looked at the Master in disdain. "You are diseased, albeit a disease of our own making. No more."

The Master slowly lowered his arms looking at Rassilon utterly dismayed and then glanced back at Sara in sudden realization. "You knew."

"I warned you they wouldn't fix you. You didn't listen, you never do. Just insisted on ridiculing me. Hope you're happy." She spat out. Neither Time Lord believed it was a television show. They either mocked her or played along until she found out the truth.

There was a clicking sound as the Doctor removed Wilfred's gun from his coat aiming it at Rassilon. Sara stared at the Doctor. From what her friends had so fervently ground into her, he was never one to hold a gun. _Until….until, I came along…_

"Choose your enemy well. We are many. The Master is but one." Rassilon advised.

"But he's the President. Kill him and Gallifrey could be ours!" The Master told him as he looked at Sara with sudden hunger. She knew he intended to use her, drain her of all the energy she had left but the Doctor…why hadn't he snapped out of it by now?

The Doctor glared ferociously at the Master turning the gun on him, his finger pressing against the trigger while Sara looked at the Doctor in horror. _He wouldn't…._

She edged out from behind the Doctor towards the middle to confront him, remind him of the reasons why he never used a weapon. _Has to remember why he gave them up…_

"He's to blame, not me for what I did to her." The Master protested. "The link inside my head, oh she can hear it too now can't she? You never would, you coward, you couldn't…"

But Sara could see the complete contempt on the Doctor's face as he started to squeeze the trigger. "No!" She screamed. _He didn't fire a gun before, he can't…_

She screamed as her arm exploded in pain when the gun suddenly fired and she dropped to her knees seizing her wounded arm.

"Sara!" The Doctor was suddenly furious. What would have made her run directly in the path of the bullet? _Humans. _He seethed. She had caught a bullet meant in retaliation for all that the Master had perpetrated onto Sara and on himself. He couldn't fathom as to her reasoning except for her irrational and willful impulses. Seizing her other wrist, he dragged her backwards so she would once again be behind him while he did a mental calculation of where the bullet was lodged. _No major arteries severed, loss of blood is minimal. _

Still the pain was starting to send her into shock as she began to stare at him glassily. "Shouldn't fire a gun. Don't have them. Never used one." She murmured as her body started to tremor.

Quickly he placed his fingers to each of her temples while staring her straight in the eyes to deliver a surface command. "_No pain." _He intoned. "Do you hear me Sara? Your arm is in _no pain."_

"My arm is in no pain." She repeated. Swiftly, the Doctor got up as he examined his opponents taking aim at the Master once more. His screwdriver was left abandoned on the floor. Without even thinking, Sara picked up the fallen instrument staring at the bracelet he had forced her to wear on her wrist.

"No! Kill him and the link gets broken. He goes back." The Master exclaimed.

The Doctor turned on Rassilon aiming the weapon directly at him who looked at the Doctor with repugnance. "The final act of your life is murder but which one of us?"

The Doctor was looking past the President as Sara looked on as well to see the very woman who had appeared to her while she was trapped in the stasis field to provide her encouragement with albeit enigmatic words about what fate lay in store. The woman made direct eye contact with her and tears poured down her face as she looked at the Doctor while Sara swallowed. _The tears of a mother for her son. _She thought. _Maybe the rumors were true._

The woman seemed to make a gesture to the Doctor with her eyes that he understood while he switched positions, glancing at the Master. "Get out of the way." He commanded.

The Master dove out of the way of the Gate and the Doctor took aim and fired fracturing the device that held the diamond in place, which was completing the link to the Time Lords of Gallifrey. The machine started to go up in flames and chaos erupted as the Gate continued to burn. Sara couldn't take her eyes off the woman who looked around her, nodding expectantly; knowing just as much as Sara that this was the inevitable outcome. "Gallifrey is falling." Her tone was solemn. The equipment was causing electrical discharges. The Master hadn't moved quickly enough and was struck by them due to his proximity to the gate. He lay seizing on the ground momentarily unable to move.

Rassilon appeared incensed as he glared at the Doctor in sheer contempt. "You'll die with me Doctor." He threatened.

_No he can't die yet. It's too soon! _She got up and started her unsteady approach to the Gate attempting to fix her way between Rassilon and the Doctor. If she marred anything here, changed the circumstance the Doctor could end up dying permanently by Rassilon's hand.

"I know." The Doctor returned fixing his gaze on Rassilon without noticing Sara's movement. Rassilon started to hold out his hand that was encased in a gauntlet to exact his revenge when suddenly she heard a voice behind her.

"No!" Sara shrieked. She would not risk the Valeyard regenerating and clambering to her feet, she ran directly at Rassilon who was caught by surprise. The light of the gate was encasing them. She could hear the Doctor shouting behind her as Rassilon's glove discharge missed its mark.

Everything started to spark around her. The Time Lords receded into the distance and she felt herself plummeting into white light. An abyss like she only encountered once before. She tried to scream but her voice became loss as she heard the distant echo of wind. No, it was more terrifying then that. It was the howling of a storm that wasn't a storm. _Hell. _She thought. She knew it was Hell. Around her body, particles began to glow encasing her as a buffer, carrying her through the onslaught. They acted on their own accord preventing the horrors she could only glimpse from damage they could inflict as she rode the storm that wasn't a storm at all. A burst of golden energy reveled in front of her eyes and swept through her mind. In that moment, her vision went black as she lost consciousness being rendered oblivious when she was found seizing in a park in Fergus Falls, Minnasota.

Perhaps, if she had been conscious, she would have been grateful to have found herself back in her country of origin but Sara was never one to see fortune in the stack of cards she had been dealt. Especially now.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Noooo!" The Doctor was horrified as he watched what appeared to be Sara disintegrate before his very eyes. _What have I done? _He glanced around horrified. The Time Lords were gone and the Master whose proximity was to close to the Gate had been sucked into the Time Lock. He was…alone. His companion….he shook his head, dropping to his knees, his lip quivering. _Way I treated her…._He had imprisoned her, intended to lock her up for the rest of her life in her room. She nearly starved to death to get away from him and now she died….died for him. Gave her life to….he stared at the gun in his hand remembering how he detested guns. The violence and how he, himself burned Gallifrey. So many people died and now he just lost one more.

"I went too far." He muttered. Tears spliced his vision. "Way too far." He lost her just as he lost Rose. Was this what it took to get him to wake up to see how far he had fallen? The death of another companion. He closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around his chest, gritting his teeth together. At that moment, he couldn't move or think.

"Sara," He started, looking at the Gate that was now smoking, ridding with wreckage around it. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He swallowed hard. He never got to tell her. Now, he knew he never could.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What's your name?"

Sara looked at her roommate with striking red hair, a few years her junior and she took a deep breath to steady herself. They had committed her here at Fergus Falls Community Behavioral Health Hospital, considering her an EDP. An emotionally disturbed person. Indeed, when she regained consciousness, she wasn't making a great deal of sense having panicked at her sudden change of surroundings and being petrified that the Doctor would once again try to locate her.

It was sometime later that a psychiatrist had informed her the Doctor didn't exist nor did any of the events she experienced come to pass. Sara attempted to regain control of herself realizing what had occurred. Somehow, she had found herself in another dimension and this one seemed free of the Doctor or aliens for that matter.

She had always been a terrible liar. When she tried to pretend it to be a joke, they saw through her pretense immediately.

"Look, I'm sorry. I was…" She paused. "Disoriented. This man locked me up for so long, I just got confused. I'm already sorting it out. I'll be fine. Please just…"

"You have no close family ties that we could find and we just need to keep you under observation." The psychiatrist said. "Only for evaluation. Maybe a week or two at most. If all goes well, then this will not remain on your record." The doctor assigned to her smiled. "I promise you, Sara."

_Maybe this is what would have happened if Unit or the Doctor didn't find me first. _She looked at her roommate who apart from a slight stutter, appeared otherwise normal. At least to her.

It appeared that in this reality she had gone back in time to the year 2006 but apart from being confined to a mental institution, there were no alien invasions, no Doctors appearing to collect her. She didn't have the freedom she would have wished but found it preferable to her existence in the reality that preceded this one.

"Sara Thomas." She swallowed. "They forced me in here for evaluation. I-" She suddenly stopped midsentence, catching sight of the pictures on the desk. Immediately, she went for a closer examination and her hands shook, looking at them recognizing them immediately to be the TARDIS. "Oh my God." She murmured.

"What's wrong?"

"This." Sara lifted the picture. "How do you know about this? It's not supposed to be real. Not here. They told me…" Her voice trailed as the girl looked at her with dawning realization.

"Did you read m-m-my book?" The red head asked.

"Book?" Sara lifted her eyebrows and the girl gestured to the corner of her desk, which laid a manuscript. On the very front, it was titled 'Rose' by Penelope Elaine Carter.

She backed away, desperately trying to think. The Doctor didn't exist her but apparently the show didn't either. However, this girl, Penelope knew about the Doctor was writing books with the same titles as the episodes were given in the show.

"You're not from here. This reality." Sara realized. "You remember this as a television show, don't you?"

The girl was silent, looking at Sara nervously. "Dr. Dodger's told me it wasn't…wasn't real."

"Yes, I know and it's not…not here anyway." Sara breathed. "But your stories. The next one is The End of the World, then the Unquiet Dead and…" She paused. "I've seen seven seasons worth. I know….well, Rose." She glanced at Penelope. "Doomsday." The red head was struck. "I don't suppose you wrote that yet, have you?"

"How do you know about any of this?" Penelope asked.

"Because…" Sara removed the sonic the doctors had returned to her, considering it merely a toy of some kind. "Penelope, I think we're from the same place."

"It's Penny." The girl managed as she simply stared at the sonic before reaching out a tentative hand. What could this possibly mean? But the sonic looked so real and if what Sara was saying was true….she took a deep breath. It was hard to know what was real at the moment but Sara approached her.

"Please." Sara pleaded with her. "I've been alone….locked up for so long. My home was destroyed. I didn't know there was anyone else that survived but there's you. Please….you have to believe me."

Penny started to nod and reach for the other girls hand. Sara hadn't been the only one that had felt all alone. Questioning reality….the two of them…whatever was happening, perhaps together, they could survive this.

Penny offered Sara a shaky smile. "Do you, do you like to write?" She tried and Sara felt herself relax. Somehow, despite the odds, she had found an actual survivor and even though they were considered insane, Penny accepted her. For now, that was all that mattered. Sara briefly thought back to all her public relations classes and finally nodded, letting out an unsteady breath of air.

"Yes, I love to write." Sara told Penny in confirmation.

It was only a week later that the two released two more subsequent episodes in written format and Penny seemed grateful for Sara's presence. "Two hands are better then one." Penny told her as Sara attempted to argue that since Penny started the series, only her name should be on the title page.

"Wouldn't have wr-written this much if you didn't h-help." Penny was alleviated by her new roommates company.

At the same time, Sara found writing strangely cathartic even after what she went through. Adding her interpretation to the segments of the events was strangely….fulfilling. It was difficult to believe that Dr. Who didn't exist in any form in this reality. She expressed that to Penny who gave the faintest trace of a frown.

"Right….not real at all." Penny's voice was hesitant which Sara immediately caught on to, frowning herself.

"Penny, what is it? You can tell me anything," Sara assured her.

"Well, it's just…" Penny nervously wrung her hands. "I-I haven't told you yet, but, erm, before I came here, I think I…" Penny stuttered and paused before trying again, "I think I went through the Void…I remember seeing things that shouldn't be real before I came here. If-If it's not real, then did I just imagine it?"

Sara closed her own eyes in reflection, thinking of a simple answer, before looking at her friend. "Penny, it was real, that part. Remember in the show how the Doctor explained the Void?"

"He said it was filled with monsters, things banished to the abyss," came the hushed answer. "Like the C-Carrionite witches."

"Yes," Sara agreed. "But he also said that it was the space between realities." She paused. "I already told you before that I had met him, that he _does_ exist in another reality." Penny nodded. "So, that was real and what you saw was real. Here, though, nothing from the show exists. I've done some research of my own. We don't have to worry anymore, Penny. I promise."

The red head smiled. "'Kay, I believe you. You always know what to say, Sara."

"Not all the time," the brunette refuted. "But I know what I would want to hear, and you know I'm a terrible liar, anyway." Sara then hesitated as she gazed at the slighter girl who had returned to her sketching. This had been something that she had discussed at length with her assigned psychiatrist. She had gotten approval under the agreed upon terms of finishing her observational period with a clean bill of mental health and with that Dr. Dogers wrote a letter of release.

Sara only had a few more days and knew for sure that she'd pass evaluation. Her psychiatrist had already talked with Dr. Dogers who had noticed a steep slope of improvement and had been more than happy to write the letter. The only person who hadn't been told was the young woman in question. "Penny," Sara began. "How would you like to come live with me after my evaluation is over?"

Xxxxxxxxxxx

They had little possessions between the two of them, but Sara had managed to figure out some settings on the sonic of hers, allowing the two of them to quietly move away from Minnesota to a small apartment in Washington, Sara's home state. Penny quickly fell in love with the damp climate and the city of Seattle, settling in rather nicely. Sara had told her that the reason they moved there was because she felt drawn to Seattle and that a change of pace would be good for the both of them.

She had told the truth; those were part of the main reason, but she failed to mention that it would be easier to slide into obscurity if they left the state and away from the only records that existed on file for them. Well, technically just for Penny, since Sara had passed observation and had nothing recorded on her file as promised. Not that the file for her existed in this reality anyway at present.

After some months, Sara had broached the subject of publishing with Penny. The red head was leery of the idea, but was unable to explain why when asked. When a proper reason against publishing failed to occur to either woman, Penny agreed that, yes, they could submit their stories to an online journal and see if it would publish their stories. Both of them were surprised with the quick response they had gotten from the journal editor and the amount that was offered for the initial chapters.

It seemed to be a good system. Sending digital transcripts of the chapters via e-mail and getting paid via PayPal without any need to meet for a face-to-face interview.

After the first few months, 'Doctor Who' had become the most popular article of each online issue, gaining the attention of major paperback publishing companies who were broaching the subject of converting them into actual novels. After several months, Penny and Sara agreed on a publisher. The material transitioned from online journals to the shelves of major bookstores. Seeing them in the store, both Sara and Penny were often reminded of a world that no longer existed but they had this time to mourn their losses. To pick up the pieces and begin a normal life. For Sara, contentment was starting to settle in. A normal life had never been so delightful as this since now she knew the difference. _Normal. _Sara thought, relishing the word as she bit into a nectarine. _I missed being normal so much._

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

"I'm telling you, Doctor, the series is all about you." Martha protested on the cell phone she had given him. "Some of the details in there…" The girl paused. "Even I didn't know but UNIT was monitoring Internet traffic and picked up on the books."

"Martha, it's unlikely that-"

"Titled Dr. Who." Martha told him and the Doctor was struck silent. Still, there was speculation and conspiracy about him online. It was possible that-

"The first book is called 'Rose'." Martha told him. "Describes in detail an encounter between you and the Nestene Consciousness where you-"

"I need a copy." The Doctor's voice was suddenly abrupt. "Everyone that is available." He was duly alarmed. "Who is the author?"

"Authors." Martha corrected. "That's the tricky part. They are publishing under pennames and the editor has a strict confidentiality agreement in place." His former companion was momentarily silent. "Did some digging but these girls are almost like ghosts."

"Almost?"

"Did find something. The books were published briefly on an online journal and we were able to find the PayPal account holder where payments were being sent."

"Who?" The Doctor was already at his monitor preparing his own investigation as started to speed read through copies of the books that Martha had sent him. His blood started to turn cold as a chill raced through his hearts. The stories were incredibly accurate and he knew at once that both these authors must have rare precognition abilities that without a measure of a doubt would surely endanger them both.

"Her name is Sara Thomas. The last address we have for her was a mental institution in Fergus Falls, Minnesota where she was kept temporarily just for observation."

"Why was she committed?" The Doctor immediately asked.

"I don't know. Bit dodgy in the states. Seems she had some agreement in place. S'pose her condition was temporary and they agreed to expunge it off her record." Martha sighed. "It was lucky I found this report at all. From when she was transported there. I could call and-"

"No." He declined immediately. "But thank you, Martha. I think I need to go there myself."

He stared at the books in front of him on the screen. _Sara Thomas. _He thought. _But who is the second author? _It seemed he and Donna had some investigating to do.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Dr. Smith, you say?" Dr. Dodgers confirmed remembering the man's credentials from the state health board. "Oh Sara Thomas was a model patient. Suffered a small traumatic episode from being kidnapped and the death of her family. Hardly can be blamed for that."

"Who kidnapped her?" The Doctor asked as he perused Sara's file. It had required not only the use of his psychic paper but telepathic suggestion to render this man compliant but the Doctor had to find these two girls before any further damage was done.

"She couldn't identify him. Temporary dissociative state. We tried to work with her but she said she never wanted to remember his face again." Dr. Dodgers gave a shrug. "That it was time for her to move on." He smiled in reflection. "And she did. Not only that. Helped her roommate too. More then we ever could. Took custody of her after she was discharged and-"

"Pardon." The Doctor interrupted. "Her roommate?" This was likely the answer he was searching for. In the interim, he had already read through and memorized Sara's chart, while setting it aside.

"Penelope Elaine Carter." Dr. Dodgers explained with a sense of nostalgia. "My patient. She was diagnosed with undifferentiated schizophrenia and her progress seemed to plateau until Sara came along. Far less frequent episodes. The two of them started writing actively and Penelope flourished. When Sara asked for custody, not one of us disagreed." He pressed his lips together. "I do miss her. Haven't seen her in nearly two years. Sara was eager to leave the state. Maybe to go home I suppose."

Now this was the lead he needed. "And where is home for Sara Thomas?" The Doctor asked, looking at Dr. Dodgers with intensity.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The books were becoming a young adult sensation and each time their editor pressed for the next episode. Sara had finally relaxed after spending more then a year and a half without disturbance. Penny's stutter had eventually disappeared as well as her need for neuroleptics, which Sara took careful consideration in weaning her off the psychotropic medication. Her friend even started going to college part time in Seattle. Things fell into a regular pace as Sara managed their finances while keeping the two as discreet as possible. Regardless of the world they lived in, her experiences made her considerably wary. She paid to have their address and phone number unlisted. The only person that had her cell phone number was her publisher who had a strict confidentiality agreement.

It felt like home even though their true reality was gone. They both had time to mourn the loss of their families but now they had each other. No one knew better then them what it was to lose everything in an instant.

Sara and Penny had just returned from Pike's Market having just picked up fresh fish for dinner when Sara felt her cell phone vibrate in her purse. She frowned. It was the weekend. Her publisher didn't make it a habit to call at that time and she wondered whether there was some emergency.

Answering the call, she was equally startled to hear an unfamiliar voice and she stiffened immediately. Penny froze, carrying a bag of fruit right beside her.

"Is this Sara Thomas?" The accent sounded American but with an inflection that she could not define. Still, Sara had other concerns at the moment.

"Who is this?" She demanded. "How did you get this number?" Oh, she would have a word or two with her publishing company. How dare they share information like this without her expressly permitting it.

"I'm sorry." The man said immediately. "I'm afraid I was a bit of a nuisance to your publishing company and-"

"That's not an answer." Sara immediately cut him off. "There's a confidentiality agreement in place." She was seething. "They should of called first."

"You're right." He covered smoothly. "But it's my fault, I s'pose." She could hear him take a deep breath. "Why don't we start over? My name is John Caligari and I'm a producer with BBC America." He seemed to let that information sink in. "I must say, I've been avidly reading all the books you and Penelope have published and we are interested in creating a television show on your novels. Considering your fan base, we have no doubt in its success."

"A TV show." Sara repeated dumbly. Oh, this was happening backwards. No wonder the publisher had been talked into sharing her information. They would receive a percentage of the profits and the success of the show….Sara took a deep breath and Penny looked at her, eyes wide. In a sense, they both felt as though they were committing plagiarism. _But the original writers are gone. The show doesn't exist here. _That hardly made her feel better when this idea was now being proposed to her. A show with hers and Penny's name on the intro instead of Randy T Davies or the other writers for the series.

"Mr. Caligari," She started, taking the edge out of her tone. "They are just silly stories. You really think people are interested in that kind of thing? I-"

"Oh yes. Science fiction and time travel has a great deal of interest right now. I'm sure we could come to an agreement in terms of compensation and-"

"It's not really about money." Sara paused. "We were….it was just for fun and-"

"You both have an opportunity here. I assure you, this will be fun too." He took a moment. "One meeting. I can discuss what we have in mind with both of you. If you're not happy, nothing needs to be decided."

It seemed harmless but Sara was still wary. She would indeed take precautions especially where Penny was concerned.

"Alright." Sara grounded out. "_I'll _meet you. Penny is…" She glanced at her friend. Sara at least had her degree and some business acumen and her friend had spent two years traumatized within the confines of the same mental institution in which Sara had resided only weeks in. "She's in class during the week. Once we talked, I'll discuss it with her. Then, if we both approve, I'll bring her to formalize an agreement."

This didn't sound like his first choice. "I would really prefer to meet you both in person to present the offer and-"

"Mr. Caligari, we are very private people. Perhaps, you know a little of the reason why. I'm not introducing a stranger to Penny, the nearest I have to family here without meeting you first. I'm sorry. That's the way it has to be."

"Alright." He agreed finally. "Should we meet at your fl-apartment?"

_Was he just about to say flat? _Sara pondered. She shrugged. He did work for the BBC. Perhaps, he picked up a bit of the British lilt as a repercussion.

"I would prefer if we met for coffee." Being in Seattle, the city had a slew of coffee places on every corner. She also never permitted strangers over to her home and he would be no exception. "Seattle Coffee Works on Pike Street. Do you know it?" She asked.

"I can find it." He confirmed without hesitation.

"I can meet you there tomorrow at one pm if that works for you, otherwise-" She was about to propose another day.

"Oh, anytime is okay with me." He told her and Sara paused briefly at the familiarity of this phrase. She gave herself a brief shake before nodding.

"One o'clock it is." She confirmed as she disconnected the call.

"A TV show?" Penny looked astonished. "Can you imagine…well, guess we already can." The girl shook her head. "Never thought I would be asked to write for a TV show."

"Neither did I." Sara was already dialing the number for her publisher. She wanted to confirm that John Caligari was exactly who he said he was. Sara was not one, especially now, to leave anything to chance and still, regardless of his identity, she would make certain to give her publisher a piece of her mind.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Sara arrived at the coffee shop at a few minutes prior to one, glancing at the various patrons before ordering a beverage herself and taking a seat nearest to the backdoor. Her publisher confirmed that John Caligari had shown his credentials to her and was apologetic about making the exception in giving him Sara's cell phone number.

"I'm sorry. I was just….it was such a great opportunity. I didn't think you would want to pass that up and he was only going to be in Washington for two days. Please, we do take confidentiality very seriously." The woman tried to explain. "I did try to contact you first but I only received your voice mail and he said it was urgent. He wanted to set to work on it right away."

Sara released a sigh. It was true that sometimes when she went hiking, reception could be a bit spotty and as the publisher persisted in another round of apologies, Sara cut her off. "It's fine. Just this once but never again. Okay? You'll wait to hear back from me, alright?"

"Of course, Miss Thomas." The agent sounded relieved.

Now that left Sara sitting at a table, sipping a chai latte as she waited for this producer to arrive. She still felt decidedly awkward about the proposal of having her name as the writer of the show. Admittedly, she was nervous about this arrangement but in a sense, she had a certain amount of excitement. She could hardly fathom what it would be like choosing cast to play the roles for the Doctor. Of course, they would have to use different actors since many of the people didn't exist in this universe that played those parts, but all in all, the possibilities were still-

"Sara Thomas?"

Dread suddenly filled her as a distinctly familiar voice addressed her from behind. _No…it can't be…it just can't…_her throat went dry as she turned and the image in front of her suddenly wavered. It was him. The Doctor. Was she hallucinating? Dreaming? She stumbled up from the chair, knocking it over on the floor, startling patrons around her.

"Why don't you just calm down." He suggested in an even tone, staring directly at her. _He found me! He…_Her thoughts ran together in desperation. _But how, it…?_

She suddenly realized. The phone call. John Caligari. It was all him. He had set a trap and she walked right into it. The accent had been a fake he put on for her benefit so she would agree to the meeting. But he knew that she would know who he was upon seeing him, which would explain why he simply let it fall to the wayside.

"Get away from me." She ordered. "You're not doing it again. Not locking me up in my room or strapping me to a bed for days at a time."

He looked taken aback. "Sara." His manner was placating. "I wouldn't. I-"

"Go back to your reality and leave us the hell alone." She spat. "Almost two years. We've been fine and-" She cut herself off. He was advancing too quickly. Immediately, she turned and ran out the back door, bursting into a full sprint. She could hear his footsteps in pursuit of her and she forced herself to draw in even breaths. She was at the peak of her endurance and whatever the cost, she had to get home and retrieve Penny. They needed to leave the state immediately. The Doctor must have slipped back in through a dimensional crack only far later then he anticipated to retrieve her. He then found out about Penny too. It was the only explanation but she knew but the window of time he had in this reality was a short one. She ran down a side street and onto another road, thinking desperately as she searched her purse for her phone. She nearly didn't take notice of a woman with auburn hair stepping directly in front of her.

Sara's eyes widened as she skidded to a momentary pause. "Donna?" No. That was impossible. Her memory was gone. She shouldn't even be around the Doctor at that stage in the timeline. She-

"We're not going to hurt you." The woman paused. "Just want to talk. Know you're a bit scared and-"

"But….But the Doctor used Time Lord telepathy to erase your memory …" Sara's voice trailed.

"He did what?" Donna looked at her strangely. "No! Nothin' wrong with my memory. The Doctor and I just want to speak with you and your friend. That's all." But now deep inside Donna, distrust started to brew. Didn't the Doctor mention these girls were precognitive? Was Sara seeing her future? The companion made to get closer but Sara shook her head.

"Not interested." Sara told her firmly. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be. The psychiatrists in the mental institution told them both UNIT, Torchwood, none of it was real. Sara took assurance from that. Neither of them liked to watch the news having both experienced too much from what real life had to offer already. Maybe if she had….

"Sara," The companion tried gently but the girl had already darted across the street and down an adjoining alley, picking up speed as she ran. This was crazy. Absolutely mad. Another Doctor. Sara didn't even want to conceive it. She started to turn a corner only to smash directly into someone. Arms wrapped around her and Sara screamed as she flailed in desperation. The Doctor tracked her signal and calculated her route, managing to cut her off while Donna served as a distraction.

"It's alright, Sara." He attempted. "I'm here to help you but I need-"

"Liar!" She shrieked. "You fake! John Calagari, huh?" She was struggling wildly against him. Even with his Time Lord strength, it took considerable effort to keep her restrained against him. _Humans! _He thought as he pinned her arms to her side. Weeeell, this human anyway. Extremely volatile beyond what he was expecting for a case of post-traumatic stress disorder. Would both react like this? He tried to steady himself without losing a fraction of his grip on the girl.

"I'm sorry." He offered. "I'm so sorry. I needed to talk to both of you and…" He wasn't certain if he was getting anywhere. "Listen to me, Sara. You need to tell me where I can find Penelope. You are both in danger from-"

"From you?" Sara refuted. "Oh, I already know! Version of you nearly destroyed your own universe. You going to try for the same?"

He was stunned silent at her proclamation. "Why don't you explain that to me and-"

"No! And I'll never tell you where Penny is! You think I'll sell out my only friend to someone like you? You're mad!" With those words, she took the heel of her boot and smashed it into his knee. He let out a grunt, his grasp weakened as she attempted to burst out of his hold. A second later, he recovered, his arm tightened around her and with his free hand, he pressed two fingers to her temple.

"No!" She cried out. "Don't! You can't-" Suddenly, she couldn't speak as she found herself immersed in a thick, congestive fog that wrapped around her mind, choking her senses. It was nothing like the sensation of the Doctor she had once known whose touch had been intimate and painful. A violation as he crept along the corridors of her thoughts. This…this the addition of another presence but her mind wasn't large enough to occupy them both. So her head ached and throbbed, stuffed to the brim as she felt this Doctor's presence inside her skull.

"Sara, _where is Penelope?" _She heard the voice aloud as well as inside her mind. "_Where do you live?"_

_No…_She thought. Tears came to her eyes. She couldn't tell him that but to her horror, she felt her lips start to move and her voice started to answer the question. He had turned her into a puppet.

_No! Not again! Stop! _She protested inwardly._ Doctor! _Suddenly his mind was jarred loose from hers and he reeled backwards a couple steps, releasing her. She was momentarily dizzy but didn't think to question her sudden good fortune as she was on her feet, running once again, wavering on her feet as she headed down the sidewalk.

A reprieve. She had received a reprieve but how….then, she remembered. The Doctor's name. She must of accidentally used it when he was in her mind and she closed her eyes briefly, thanking her instincts. Immediately, she got out her cell phone only to realize that the device was dead. He must have taken the additional precaution against her using her mobile and she cursed aloud. She couldn't waste anymore time as she sprinted all the way back home in under fifteen minutes. A considerable record for her. Frantically, she opened the door to her building and burst inside her apartment only to feel shock riddle through her.

Penny was gone.

More then that, her sketches and other artwork had completely vanished. She was also stunned to see that their computers had been melted completely into a horrific mess of burnt circuitry.

"No…" Sara said, breathing hard, knowing what must have occurred. The Doctor found out enough information to locate their address. He beat her here and had taken Penny right out from under her nose. After everything Sara had done to protect her friend, she failed and now her friend was a prisoner.

"God help me." She muttered, clenching her hands together. Suddenly, she heard his distinct voice echo down the hallway steadily approaching her location.

"Her signal is here. Knew it was a matter of time before she returned." It was the Doctor.

"Has to be a better way." Donna's voice this time. "Chasing them both around like that. Penny looked downright terrified and you…" The companion's voice trailed.

"Had no choice. Once I get Sara on the TARDIS, I can talk to them again." He sighed. "Penelope will just sleep for a bit. That's all."

"Two new companions." Donna tried to add some levity to her tone. "TARDIS is going to get awfully crowded."

Sara shook her head. So that was it. He was going to lock them up too. "No." She whispered. "I can't. Not again…" Her palms were sweaty as she headed back out the door and inched down the corridor.

"Sara, wait." The Doctor's voice was right behind her and she turned looking at him frantically. "Just listen-"

"No!" She backpedaled. "Let Penny go. Just let her go now and we won't write anything else about you again. I promise. We were told you didn't exist here. If we knew….if I knew, I wouldn't have done it….I swear….please…."

"I believe you." He said calmly. "But I can't. I think you know why, don't you Sara?"

So much for that attempt. She dashed down the hallway as the Doctor called out again and headed for the front door of her building only to find that the knob wouldn't turn. It was completely welded shut and she glanced down at it, noticing the metal had been partially melted, reconfigured across the paneling. The window was too small for her to crawl through if she attempted to break it. He had effectively sealed off the exit, with the purpose of trapping her inside the building to make collecting her, a matter of ease.

She started to pound on the door, hoping to attract the attention of a passerby on the street. Surely someone would notice. See the door shaking in response to her distress or-

"No one can hear you Sara." The Doctor was coming down the stairs. "Retrofitted a perception filter from the TARDIS around the building." He seemed to consider her. "I know you remember how those work, don't you?" He asked mildly and Sara cringed. It was she who described perception filters that kept the TARDIS from being noticed and took to describing their function in detail. She had insisted upon it for additional foreshadowing and now everything she had written….everything Penny had written….she felt a sob rise in her throat.

The Doctor kept his voice steady as he focused his gaze on her. "Now why don't we just talk and-" Sara suddenly looked up at him with eyes filled with fury and disdain.

"Go to hell, Doctor!" She shouted before sprinting down the hallway and into the dark recesses of the basement. She would be damned if she ever let the Doctor take her back again regardless of which version he was. She already knew. She met him before and she would utilize any strength she had left rather then live out the nightmare she had only experienced two years prior.

The Doctor groaned as he started in pursuit. He should have really listened to his companion and he started to think about their discussion that took place only several hours prior.

"_I can't tell her just yet." He felt a growing sense of frustration as he looked at his companion who scowled at him._

"_You don't think she's bound to figure it out when you show up at the café, Spaceman?" Donna challenged. "Nice accent by the way." She threw up her hands. "Don't understand why you have to lie to them at all. Why can't you-?" _

_The Doctor cut her off with a wave of his hand. "Sara Thomas has taken great effort to hide the two of them. I read both of their files from the institution and she has the hallmark signatures of post traumatic stress disorder." He placed his hands into the pockets of his coat and rocked back and forth on his feet. "She's afraid." He concluded. "With their abilities…" He paused. At least even with the accuracy of her perception, she wasn't familiar with the alias he only used in his very first regeneration. John Smith, he knew would have put her on alert whereas John Caligari did not. He winced, shaking his head. He knew if he told them outright who he was, Sara would take Penelope and run. That would make this so much harder then it had to be._

_The books and any reference to them would be destroyed. He would ensure their moratorium and a precise virus planted on the internet would delete all traces of a following. The girls were obviously, acutely precognitive and needed to be placed under his direct observation. Fortunately, they hadn't recorded events about his future but he was certain that if left unchecked, it would only be a matter of time._

"_What if we just ask them to stop?" Donna tried. "Some can't handle travelin'. If what you're saying is true…"_

"_That's not an option." The Doctor stipulated glancing at the monitor above his console. There were some unusual readings in the Seattle area with high concentrations of particles he was only familiar with being emitted from that of his TARDIS. Furthermore, he looked at both Sara and Penelope's rudimentary blood work. Sara's blood, weeeell, the color was distinctly reminiscent of Time Lord blood, lacking any definitive blood type, which the doctors at the hospital accounted as a minor mutation. Penelope's was showing traces of Hemomycin with the hemoglobin in her red blood cell count along with the oddity of her organ size increase. No further exams had been forthcoming after 2006 since Sara was declared mentally fit and was able to obtain guardianship of Penny, leaving the hospital and Minnesota altogether without so much as a trace. He attempted to soften his tone. "They could be in danger." H explained. "Wrong person gets their hands on them just once." He grimaced. "It could be cataclysmic. They could even destroy the universe."_

_Donna looked astounded. "But they would never…" The girls were so young. Innocent. Victims of circumstance._

"_Oh, not on purpose, mind you. But any number of species takes them, tortures them, they'll talk." He winced. "Could be over, just like that. Everything that was, is or ever could be." He looked at his companion. "I can't take the risk."_

"_So…" Donna swallowed. "We're locking them up. We're going to be their jailors." It was a horrendous thought even if it meant saving millions upon billions of life._

"_Oh no." The Doctor looked at her reassuringly. "They'll adjust." He injected a cheerful note. "They're not my first wards I had to take. I'll do everything I can to help them and when they're ready, they can join us on our travels. Probably will be having fun before they know it." His tone was encouraging but Donna looked at him doubtfully. _

"_Why don't you let me try talkin' to them?" Donna tried. "Might be easier. Woman to woman. Sara is as paranoid as you said, I could help and-"_

"_I appreciate that, Donna but I can handle this." He offered her a grin. "I give my word. I'll take this slowly."_

_Donna grimaced and he knew she didn't like his decision one bit._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Penny hummed happily to herself as she poured herself a cup of tea, adding seven lumps of sugar for both sweetness and luck. Today was starting to seem like it would be one of the better ones. First off, she had a good run in the fog with Sara that morning. Then they got the call that some producer wanted to turn their books into a TV show. And now Penny managed to make her best batch of tea yet, this one actually palatable without sugar being necessary to drown out the original flavor of the tea. If the red head wasn't prone to looking at the positive side of things, she would've thought to herself that things were almost too good to be true.

As it was, though, Penny was as optimistic as they came and therefore believed that the day would continue to be a good one.

There came a knock on the door, and the girl wondered if it was Sara again, as she had only left about ten minutes prior. "Oh, she'll be late," Penny exclaimed. "What did she forget?" Padding over to the door with her steaming cup of tea, Penny opened the door with a slight frown. "Sara, did you forget…" Her voice trailed. "S-S-Something…?"

There at the door was the tenth Doctor himself.

Unconsciously, Penny's grip on her cup slackened, causing it to fall onto the floor with a shatter, splattering hot tea over her exposed feet. She let out a yelp, the pain snapping her out of her stunned shock and allowing her fear to take over. Hurriedly, she attempted to shut the door but the Doctor prevented such an action with the use of his arm. "Look, Penelope. It's alright. I'm only here to-"

"No! You're not real! Go away, go away, _go away_!" Came the shriek as Penny staggered away from the door and fled into the kitchen, snagging the broom before going around the corner. There she stopped, broom raised above her head, arms trembling. The Time Lord raced through the kitchen and around the corner only to be met with a face full of broom bristles, courtesy of a well-placed swat.

He sputtered from the surprise attack, stumbling back as the broom fell to the floor. Heart thumping double time, Penny ran down the hall to the bathroom and barricaded herself inside, disconnecting the shower rod and using that to block the door. Knowing that she had only moments, Penny climbed on the sink and opened the window wide before hopping back down on the bathroom floor. She opened the cupboard under the sink and removed the cleaning supplies and extra toilet paper rolls before crawling inside the interior. Getting situated as she heard the trademark whirling of the sonic screwdriver and the Doctor's cries of "_Please, just hear me out, it's not safe!_", Penny grabbed the supplies and toilet paper, placing it in her lap and tightly easing the sink cupboard shut.

Shivering, she could only listen as her bathroom door was forced open, shower rod sent flying and hitting the sink above her harshly before clattering to the ground. The Time Lord cursed before calling out once more through the window, "Penelope!" He rushed back out of the bathroom and all was silent. Still, Penny didn't leave, not trusting it to be safe. This turned out to be the right decision, as the Doctor came back, sonic whirling loudly, likely using it to trace her whereabouts. It shut off and all was once again quiet.

Penny flinched at the sudden sound of the large clothing basket being overturned and the tiny closet being opened. Then he opened the cupboard under the sink, spotting the red head who shrieked in fright and threw everything she had in her lap at him. "_Oi!_" He yelped throwing up his hands to fend off the projectiles. "Stop that! _Ouch!_ I don't mean you any-_Ow!_ Quit it!" Paying him no heed, Penny made to force her way past him, but inevitably failed. "Aha! Gotcha."

The red head struggled, flailing against him as he pulled her out from under the sink, but to no avail. "There we are. Now, if you'll just-"

The Doctor was interrupted as Penny finally burst in to tears, wailing plaintively, "Sara! I-I don't w-w-want to be l-locked up f-forever! Let m-m-me go! Sara! _Sara!_" The Time Lord grimaced, feeling guilt eat at him as the girl in front of him ceased resisting, just sobbed wretchedly and went as limp as rag doll instead, almost making him lose his grip on her.

"Oi," he tried, voice soft. "No one's going to be locked up, promise. I just want to help you two. You're in danger…" She continued sobbing and calling out her friend's name, words starting to become incomprehensible as Penny began to hyperventilate, gasping while the panic attack overwhelmed her. He was left with little choice. Lightly pressing his fingers to her temples, he eased her into an unconscious state, the fog of sleep converging over her mind like a calming mist.

The Doctor groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose with one free hand, head throbbing. Between the broom, various bottles of bathroom cleanser, and toilet rolls being thrown at his head, it was no wonder why he was starting to develop a headache. He let out a sigh and lifted the slight girl into his arms, carrying her out of the house and over to the TARDIS. He passed Donna who looked at him in reproach as she stuffed the various books and manuscripts they found in the apartment into a storage bin that he had been brought out of the time machine for the purpose.

"I know, I know," he muttered. "I already feel bad enough as it is, but they're leaving me little choice here…"

She made a skeptical noise. "Yeah, you sure you couldn't have just let me do the talkin'?"

"…think that that might've been the better option," he admitted.

"It would be, 'cause that was my idea in the first place, if just hearing your alias "John Smith' would be enough to make them run…"

"Alright, alright," the Doctor protested. "I didn't exactly think this through, so sue me."

"I won't be the one suing you when this is all over," Donna pointed out drily while the Doctor huffed in exasperation, bringing his unconscious ward to the med-bay to stay momentarily until Sara came to join them. Meanwhile, there were preparations he had to make.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sara's run to the basement wasn't just based on a whim. As she scurried into the darkened area by the furnace, she took a moment to recall all the training she had undergone at shooting ranges. The last year had been spent helping her regain control, which meant learning various methods of self-defense. The Doctor never liked guns. Sara never particularly favored them prior to the obliteration of her own world but times had changed her. Her encounter on Mars and her struggle to prevent the Doctor from breaking the rules of time caused a decisive impact inside of her.

She still wasn't a killer but the shooting range and subsequent lessons taught her accuracy. That was what she needed here when being chased by another version of the Doctor. Sara took a deep breath as she headed into the recesses of the room. _I have to do this. _She told herself. _No other choice. _Shivers racked her body, remembering the times when the Time Lord Victorious hunted her down in London just after Adelaide had died.

"Sara, wait!" The Doctor's voice echoed down the stairs. He was approaching. "Stop this! Just listen to me."

She slammed her hand down on the light switch rendering the room in pitch-blackness. _The shelf above the laundry machine. _She stumbled in that direction, as she reached towards the rags that hid the weapon. The lights suddenly blazed on and she cried out in surprise.

"There's no where else to go." The Doctor told her. He appeared calm, confident knowing that the cards were stacked directly in his favor as he walked towards her, cornering her against the wall. "I'm only here to help you." He offered her a smile as Donna joined him at his side. "I'm sure Penelope is waking up by now." The Doctor paused. "Wouldn't you like to see her?"

He reached out for her arm and Sara scrambled as far back as she could go. "Stay away from me!" She shrieked. "You think I'm crazy? That I would willingly set foot in that death trap again?" She shook her head, hand scrambling behind her in desperate search. "Never! Being your companion is a curse! We don't want it!"

"Sara, there isn't an option." He was closing the distance between the two. "You're both my responsibility and the two of you need to stay with me for your-"

He cut himself off in midsentence as the human before him suddenly turned, raising a gun in her right hand, pointing it directly at him. The Doctor looked at Sara stunned before examining the weapon. He detested them, which was why he never carried one but suddenly he froze mid step as Sara glared at him directly.

"I'll use it, I swear I'll use it." She wrapped both hands around the trigger, watching both the Doctor and the companion gaze at her in disbelief before Donna shook her head.

"Happy now, Spaceman?" She challenged, her voice given to a slight tremor. The Doctor should have listened to her from the start. If she had approached Sara, this could have been avoided. Sara might not have run but the Doctor was adamant about doing the talking himself and this is where it led them. To a traumatized girl wielding a pistol.

"Donna, I-" The Doctor started, not taking his eyes off Sara.

"Shut it." Donna told him deciding now to intercede as she looked at the girl in front of her. "Sara, I'm sorry about him. He's downright mental. Went about this all wrong. I told him-"

"I don't care anymore, Donna what anyone tried to tell him!" Sara grit her teeth. "All I know is that he kidnapped MY FRIEND!" The click of the safety being shut off echoed throughout the basement. "I want her back." Sara ordered. "You will get your TARDIS and let her go this second!"

"Sara, just calm down. Penelope is safe and-"

"With you? I don't think so." Sweat trickled down her the back of her neck. "I want her back NOW!"

He was assessing her quietly, exchanging a glance with his companion before raising his eyebrows. "You don't strike me as a killer, Sara." He said after a moment, folding his arms across his chest. "I think you're bluffing."

_I didn't take you for a murderer, Sara. _The breath hitched in Sara's throat and with careful aim from the year spent under instruction, the weapon fired. The Doctor let out a shout of pain as the bullet lodged directly into his leg.

"What do you think now?" She kept her tone cold despite the fact she was trembling on the inside. "Am I bluffing?" She paused, looking at him. "Still think so?"

Sara was careful to shoot a non-vital area but she had to force him to take her seriously. Otherwise…..otherwise, she and Penny would both find themselves just as trapped as she was before.

The Doctor was breathing hard, staring at her aghast. "Sara, you…" He started weakly.

"Penny." She demanded. "You will get Penny now."

"The two of you-" He started. Instantly, Sara switched targets, pointing the gun at Donna and the Doctor breathed in sharply. He had misjudged her and hadn't prepared correctly therefore hadn't anticipated the result when he cornered a wounded, wild animal, which was just what Sara was. For now, he was out of options. Humans were far too dangerous in this state and Sara….he swallowed. He simply couldn't risk losing another companion to an overly frightened, traumatized human with a gun.

"Alright." He conceded. He lifted the key out of his coat keeping his hands lifted in the air. Fortunately, with being a Time Lord, his mental control allowed the pain from the wound to recede to a certain degree. But the bullet caught in his bone was decidedly painful and he had difficultly focusing as he summoned the TARDIS directly to the basement where they all stood. "Donna and I-" He started. He intended to get his companion out of harms way.

"No. Donna stays here until you bring Penny out." Sara opposed. "She'll keep you honest."

The Doctor finally nodded as he released the deadlocks with his sonic and went inside. Moments later, Penny came running directly out of the TARDIS towards Sara.

"Sara!" The red head was panicking. "He's real…you said he wasn't real here and he showed up at the door. I tried to get away! Told him he wasn't real and-"

"It's alright Penny." Sara informed her. "Just get behind me. We'll talk about it in a bit, okay?"

Penny seemed to notice the weapon her friend was holding for the first time. "Sara? What's-"

"Penny, you just have to trust me. We can't let him take us." Sara explained. "It's….I promise. I'll tell you everything." She glanced at her friend. "After." She told her meaningfully.

"Kay. I-I'll…wait." Penny's voice was still shaking. After all, it was Sara that had rescued her from the mental institution and now it seemed, she had freed her from that imprisonment she had woken up in moments before. Oh, she had just started to panic when the Doctor limped into the room, telling her he needed to take her off the TARDIS. She couldn't even think, seeming to be caught in some nightmare until she saw her friend in front of her. _It's real here too? The Doctor is actually real?_

Sara in the interim was still focused on the Doctor. She had assured her friend's passage off the TARDIS but she had another problem in front of her.

"Close the TARDIS door and remove your sonic." She said. The Doctor looked at her quizzically but obeyed and Sara nodded. "Now, the door. Fry the lock. I want it to take you a half a day to get back on board."

"Sara, the door doesn't-"

"Oh, don't give me that. Told me yourself how you read our books. Besides, Doctor…" Sara paused, removing the sonic she had retrieved from the alternate reality from her coat. "If you don't, I will." She actually wasn't sure at the moment which setting would accomplish that task but if she had to, she would muddle through the chore.

The Doctor inhaled through his nose. "Where did you get that?"

"Lost and found." It didn't matter whether she lied or not. Whether the Doctor believed her or not. "Weld the lock." She commanded once again.

He sighed and finally obeyed before Sara gestured in the direction of the front door to her building. "Now, I think you know what comes next. The last thing we want." There was only one more barrier to their eventual freedom and then they would have to run. The Doctor was never one to give up so easily.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Penny and Sara left the Doctor and his companion staring at their departing taxi as he let slide a curse before turning to make his way back into the building.

"Humans and guns." He was muttering under his breath as Donna made her way to his side. "Humans…just…they…"

"Oi!" She interrupted. "I warned you Spaceman. You didn't listen. Thought you could do better and they were desperate. Nothin' worse then cornering someone that scared."

"I know, I know." His tone was impatient as he immediately set to work on the TARDIS. He managed to only jam the lock for three hours instead of half a day as Sara demanded. Still, three hours. It would be more difficult to pinpoint their signal if they immediately exited the city and changed locations. Not impossible but difficult.

This time, he wouldn't make the same mistakes he had before with Sara. He would have to incapacitate her quickly and confine her carefully onboard until he was certain she didn't present a danger to herself or anyone else. Penelope was less likely to present an obstacle once he had Sara onboard and under definitive control.

Sara Thomas. The girl knew his name. He heard it in her mind. That alone was exceedingly dangerous, not to mention she utilized Time Lord equipment. Was she really as innocent as she appeared? He recalled her accusations of being held captive by another version of him. For now, until he had them both in custody, he could only be certain that while they were both on the run, the degree of risk was extremely high. Both girls presented a significant danger to the universe and to themselves. His fingers flew on the lock. He needed to find them and he needed to find them now.

But his search needed to begin anew. They were on the run and had caused him a delay. He closed his eyes and grit his teeth as he concentrated on the locking mechanism. His head and his leg both pulsated with pain but he could do nothing until he got back inside his sickbay. Today was already shaping to be a miserably long day and it had only just begun.

**Author's Note: **This is the start of our new story with Sara and Penny. It's an entirely fresh take and is directly linked to Living Fiction. Just can't give away all the details how yet but I hope you enjoy it. I would like to thank LovelyAmberLight for her contribution to this. Hope you enjoy seeing Sara and Penny's reappearance.


	2. Desperate Times

**Author's Note: **I slightly reorganized the chapter for those that read it before I could do the revisions. I altered the cut off points. There is still much in the way of new content to this chapter for those who read prior to my revisions. I'm sorry. The doc manager was down for days and I couldn't revise anything! But halfway through, you'll see the new additions. Still, I hope you'll like the story. I just thought the super long chapters might be harder to sift through.

Sara was lucky she had the foresight to prepare emergency cash and a credit card in case an incident just like this would occur. She was never one to let down her guard no matter how secure a situation might seem. Not entirely. This reality seemed safe upon her arrival but she learned not to be deceived upon appearances. It was best to always be prepared. Her sonic in hand, she knew how to prepare new identities for herself and Penny. It was one of the several functions she learned on the sonic in the last year.

They made haste straight to a rental car company where soon they started driving a Toyota Corolla under an assumed name. She chose the name Laura feeling an odd connection to the identity but shrugged it off, discounting it since it was also the title character of one of her favorite books she had taken to just rereading.

They were heading north, straight across the border into Canada and for a while, Penny was quiet, staring out the window until finally she broached the very elephant in the room. Or as it was, in the car.

"Sara." Penny said quietly. "What happened? The Doctor…"

Sara blinked her eyes quickly before looking at her friend, pressing her lips together briefly, letting out a staggered breath. "Penny, I'm sorry. I was wrong. I didn't know it but I was entirely wrong. A version of him….he exists here too."

Penny looked at her in shock. "So, he really did take me? I wasn't going crazy or…?"

"Penny, you were never crazy." Sara reassured her. "I told you that, remember? Your mind coped the only way it knew to survive the void but Penny…" Sara paused. "You're so much smarter….cleverer then you give yourself credit for." She took a deep breath. "I bet you didn't make it easy for him to grab you."

Penny let out a small giggle. "Whacked him with a broom, then locked myself in the bathroom. Opened a window to make it look like I got outside while I hid in the cabinet. He nearly fell for it too."

"You see?" Sara prompted. "I probably would have never thought of that." She was telling the truth. She was in full panic mode but Penny amplified calm, logical thinking. The Doctor must have only found her by use of his sonic otherwise, Penny's plan surely would have worked.

"But what happened?" Penny insisted. "How did he know where we lived? The gun…" Her words trailed and Sara glanced over, eyes filled with regret.

"The supposed producer that called about turning those books into a TV show. It was him all along. He was baiting us. I walked right into it. I…" Sara was filled with guilt. She should of known better. If something sounded too good to be true, it probably was. How could she have been so foolish? "I'm sorry. I should have listened to you in the first place. Never convinced you it was okay to publish those things as books! What happened to playing it safe? It-"

"Sara!" Penny interrupted. "No. I agreed. That wasn't your fault and I loved writing them. I started to post them online before you arrived in Fergus Falls." Penny shook her head. "If you hadn't come along, he might have found me anyway." The girl was silent for a moment considering that situation with renewed horror. What if the Doctor had come for her while she was confined in the mental institution. She would have no protection against him, least of all her friend to help her. She said a silent prayer of thanks that this wasn't the case. If it wasn't for Sara, she might have still been there, on medication with the very stutter she had hated instead of living a life on the outside. Taking a deep breath. "So, we'll run and we'll start over. I always wanted to see Canada." She paused. "Maybe we can live in Montreal or Quebec?"

"We could but they do speak a lot of French there." Sara warned.

"Good reason to learn another language." Penny replied.

Sara released a breath of air. She had to hand it to her friend's optimism. It just might work. If they took turns driving, they could be on the east coast in less then a few days.

Night had fallen as they crossed the border into Canada and drove directly through Vancouver, heading in the direction towards Calgary. Suddenly, the lights flickered in the car and Sara's breath hitched in her throat as she realized something was happened. The noise. The familiar grinding noise and she could see the faint edges that were very visible in the darkness…..no! She immediately, slammed on her brakes to slow the vehicle down.

"Sara, what's happening?!" Penny asked in desperation.

"The Doctor!" Sara told her friend in alarm. "He's trying to materialize the TARDIS around the car!"

"But-he…can-wait, can he do that?" Penny had never seen the Doctor attempt to do anything of that nature before. She remembered the Doctor give chase to Donna's taxi in 'A Runaway Bride' but she thought…a car. The scale of a car. Wasn't it-

"The TARDIS is still bigger on the inside." Sara was cursing. "Unbuckle your belt. We are getting out!" Sara seized her purse and both girls reacted quickly as Sara swerved to the side of the road and they yanked open the doors, instantly jumping out and rolled on the ground. Sara pushed herself to her feet, seizing Penny's hand, pulling her up as they started to run directly into the trees.

She heard voices behind her but she did not pause or pay them any heed. At this point, desperation was all she had and she would do anything to maintain freedom for herself and that of her friend.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Sara, Penelope, wait!" The Doctor called out but the girls were too far distant and he lost sight of them. He couldn't maneuver the TARDIS around the car in time and that left him with his jaw clenched at the side of the motorway with him and his companion staring into the blanket of trees where his would be wards had disappeared.

"Maybe…" Donna paused, thinking of Sara's words when she had tried to talk to her on the sidewalk. She wasn't able to get them out of her head. "Maybe we should just let them go. I'm sure they won't be writin' about you again. Pretty sure of that."

"I can't." The Doctor grimaced. "Their ability at precognition is incredibly rare. I've never seen anything like this before, especially in a human and there's two of them." He shook his head. "That alone…"

"And what about that?" Donna could no longer hold back. "Know what Sara said when I tried to stop her? That you would erase my mind." She looked at the Time Lord. "So Spaceman, got any plans of doing that in the near future?"

"Donna!" The Doctor was shocked. "Of course not!" His face was grim and then it started to soften. "Listen to me. Sara and Penelope, with their ability, see multiple timelines. Sara…" He paused. "She was likely seeing one possibility that happened to an alternate version of you." He attempted to explain. "There are millions upon billions of different realities, different possibilities. There are also many 'you's' that exist in parallel worlds. For a precognitive like Sara," He started.

"She got confused between one version of me and another." Donna guessed.

"Exactly." The Doctor looked relieved. Still, this wasn't helping the girl's case. Was she trying to purposely sew discord between himself and his companion? Did she know what she was doing to such a degree? With the accuracy of her perception, she might have determined it was an alternate timeline and told Donna that simply to shake her trust in the Doctor.

_A desperate, traumatized wild animal. _He thought briefly. It was nearly like stirring a hornet's nest or approaching a mother bear far too quickly who had her young to protect. But Sara had only Penelope and she was using everything at her disposal to protect her younger friend. Dr. Dodgers had said himself, both girl's families were gone. _What could have happened to make Sara behave like this?_

There was only one way to find out. His search for them had to continue until he had them both in his custody where they would finally be forced to be in a position to listen to what he had to say.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

They crawled out of the woods and managed to hitch a ride into the nearest town with a truck driver, offering him money for gas in exchange. Both were exhausted but they had to keep going. The Doctor was offering them little choice in this regard. Sara would be forced to rent another car but Penny started to protest.

"I need a change of clothes. Please. These are all…" Penny didn't need to say it. Rolling around in the dirt, Sara felt filthy herself. She desperately wanted a shower but at this point, a change of clothes and washing their hands and face was all they had time for.

In a small discount store, they immediately changed, dropping their old clothes in the garbage and Sara handed over her credit card to pay. The clerk processed it, handed it back when the phone started to ring by the cash register.

"Something Borrowed. How can I help you?" She asked and then frowned before tentatively offering the phone to Sara. "I think it's for you."

Sara gaped at her as she found herself taking the phone, putting to her ear.

"Ready to listen now, Sara?" It was the Doctor's voice. Sara suddenly dropped it, and seized Penny's hand as they darted out of the store.

"Wait! Your receipt!" The cashier called behind them but it was too late. The girls were already gone.

They were breathing hard as they ran down the road and up ahead, Sara spotted a bus station with signs promising various destinations. One of them being Ontario. "There." Sara told Penny. "Quickly." It was unlikely that that the Doctor would take the risk of materializing the TARDIS around an entire bus and alerting every single passenger it contained. She rapidly paid for two tickets and the girls collapsed in the last two seats the bus contained, leading out of town.

"He knows where we are." Penny's voice trembled.

Sara was silent. A part of her was afraid but she also felt fury. What had she done to deserve this? She promised to stop writing. The Doctor was free to expunge everything they had done so far. Now, he insisted on tormenting them. She had sacrificed so much for the other Doctor to prevent him from destroying his universe. Was this her reward? Why couldn't life be kind to her for once? Had she not already lost her entire world already?

"Jessica." She murmured. "Mom, Dad…wish you were here…." She closed her eyes. Penny could tell how exhausted her friend was and suddenly she reached out and took Sara's hand, squeezing it. What Sara needed right now was encouragement.

"I'm here." She told her. "We'll get out of this. I know we will."

Sara glanced at Penny. The bus started to move leaving the town behind them. "I'm sorry, Penny. I'm-I just am so tired." She murmured. "Hard to think. Can't let him get us. What he did to me before….on Mars."

Penny held her hand tighter. "The Time Lord Victorious?"

"I just remember him locking me in my room for days. Telling me it would be my home for the next sixty years. That I had better get used to it." Sara's voice was distant. "I wanted to die…I tried….then he put me beneath that stasis field." Tears shimmered in Sara's eyes. "For two days, I couldn't move. Not at all. I thought I would go insane!"

"I'll never let him do that that to you." Penny told Sara fervently. "I promise you."

"But what if he…?"

"No." Penny told her. "Never. People underestimate me, you know. It's their mistake."

Sara gave her friend a brief smile. "It is, isn't it?"

Penny gave her a nod. "Why don't you go to sleep first. I'll keep a look out. Wake you up if anything happens. I promise."

"But Penny, what if…"

"Time Lords don't need much sleep but we do. If we take turns, we can still watch out for him."

Sara's eyes were already at half mast. "A few hours then. Wake me up after." Sara would try to sleep lightly. "Then you sleep."

"I'll keep an eye out." Penny said and she watched Sara drift off, leaning against the window. Of course, Penny didn't promise she would wake Sara up in three hours. Her friend was more tired then she was having driven the majority of the time and being forced to go toe to toe with the Doctor himself to secure Penny's freedom. The red head took off her coat already feeling warm in the heated bus as she draped it over Sara who seemed despite her best efforts, to reside in a deep slumber.

"Sleep well." She whispered.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The bus jolted to a stop, jarring Sara awake as she sat straight up, Penny's jacket falling off of her.

"Brandon bus stop. Fifteen minutes. We leave exactly on time." The driver warned.

Sara shook her head. Bright morning light streamed through the window and she stared at Penny. "You said you would wake me." She accused.

"Not really. You said that. I only promised to keep watch." Penny offered her a half smile.

"Oh, Penny." Sara shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?"

"You're the one that said I was clever." Penny joked.

Sara closed her eyes. "Right, you are. See how much I need you when I can't lie to save my soul?"

"Oh, you're not that bad." Penny and Sara made their way off the bus. "When you had the gun, you were never going to kill the Doctor or Donna right?"

"Well, of course not." Sara told her. "I'm not a killer. I could never take a life so…"

"But you made them believe you were capable of it." Penny offered. "You scared him. I could tell."

"I…." Sara's voice trailed. The Doctor accused her of bluffing. She hadn't even thought about it. Maybe in all the time of being around the Doctor, of being his prisoner, she hadn't given herself enough credit. Still, she never directly threatened their lives, had she? She…then she realized. It was an inference. A lie by omission. She provided a half-truth and let them sort out the rest. _How did I learn to do that?_

Maybe it was in the last couple years of learning self-defense or merely being in the mental institution when she had to establish her sanity in order to secure her freedom. Whatever the case and if by accident, she seemed to pick up a skill if only halfway.

"Never thought lying was something to be proud of." Sara said sarcastically.

"Oh, it's not. Always been taught it was a sin but we were being threatened." Penny told her. "I think God would understand."

God. It had been a long time since she considered her faith. "Once upon a time, in my reality, I used to be-"

"Is your name Sara?"

She was startled, glancing down to see a child in front of her, holding a cellphone.

"But….who are you?" Sara asked. What was happening?

"Need to know if you're Sara. Man said to give this to you." The child offered her the phone. Sara was stunned as she took the device.

"You both must be so tired, Sara." The Doctor's voice was eerily quiet. "I only want to talk."

"No!" Sara replied instantly. "Stay away from us."

"I can't do that. If-"

Sara dropped the phone directly on the pavement where the casing cracked on the cement. She could still hear the Doctor trying to speak and in a wave of resentment, she took her foot, smashing the phone beneath it. The child gasped in front of her.

"I'm telling!" The little girl accused before she ran from the pair.

"Right, because I'm sure he'll just put me on time out when he catches me!" Sara glanced around frantically.

"What do we….?" Penny took a deep breath. "The bus?"

"ATM." Sara stated. "We need to change directions." It was utterly frustrating. They couldn't take a plane. She remembered how the eleventh Doctor transported the TARDIS directly into the cabin and knew the tenth would likely see no challenge in doing the same. All the passengers on that jet had been rendered unconscious and the Doctor would likely find a way to do the same to them if they allowed themselves to be trapped in such a way. They might as well be gift wrapped with the ease in which he would collect them.

Reaching the ATM, she pulled out her sonic, pressing the setting that would cause the machine to dispense cash. Suddenly, she gasped as the sonic started to heat up in her and spark. She instantly dropped it on the ground, hissing at the burn on her hand as Penny looked at her startled, picking up the fallen instrument.

"Sara, what's wrong?" She asked. "What happened?"

Sara reached for the device, examining it before cursing. "I-It's offline. I don't know how but it's-" She felt eyes boring into the back of her neck and suddenly she turned, letting out a gasp. It was him, just on the other side of the street, his arms folded across his chest, leaning against a building with his sonic pointed at them. She looked at the sonic in her hand and knew at once that he was responsible.

He continued to watch them but instead of approaching them like she expected. the Doctor merely gazed at her, giving her a particular look before nodding then walking away. Sara was frozen in place as Penny clenched her hands together.

"Why didn't he…" She started and then looked at Sara's sonic. "Can it be fixed?"

"I don't know what he did." Sara closed her eyes. "Maybe…" How could she possibly fix a piece of alien technology? Well, if it was only offline, then maybe, just maybe the device would self-repair. She remembered how much of the TARDIS was capable of doing the same. This device was equivalent to this Doctor's own and the fact was, it was from a contrary reality. His setting might not be equivalent to cause permanent damage. At least Sara hoped so and she looked at the sonic carefully. A pang of hope resounded through her. The power had been drained but there was still a glimmer left. It needed to recharge. That alone would take days but at least the sonic wasn't beyond hope. It was nevertheless the last thing she needed. Still, she was angry as she stuffed the device in her purse. Obviously, he wanted to corner them again. Give them no option but to come to him for help. To seek his aide.

Sara clenched her jaw. _Like hell we will._

She still had her card and some cash left. They quickly made their way back to the bus station.

"We need tickets to Quebec instead." Sara informed the clerk as Penny's face brightened at the notion of visiting that particular city.

"Alright, one moment. Let me-" Suddenly the clerk's own personal cell phone rang. "Oh, I'm sorry. Sister is in the hospital. Only reason it's on. I just need to make sure if…" She paused, looking at Sara with hope.

Sara took a deep breath. "Sure, it's alright." On that measure, she understood not wanting to lose a family member. In that situation, she surely could empathize. "Just…" She still needed the clerk to hurry.

"Only be a moment." The clerk assured. "Marcia? Is Terry…" The clerk frowned. "Who is this?" The salesperson looked up at Sara. "I think it's for you. I'm…" She didn't know what else to say.

Sara was starting to feel livid as she took the phone. She was at her wits end. What was wrong with him? What did she have to do to get him to back off? She clenched her teeth.

_Half truths. The gun. Inference. _Could she do this? What other choice did she have?

"Sara." His voice was calm. "There's no where else to go. Are you ready to stop running yet?"

Fury boiled inside of her at the very suggestion. Was he actually suggesting that they give up?

"Never." Her voice was adamant. "Ready to stop chasing us?"

"I'm only trying to help. I just need you both to listen." Again his voice was calm. "Why don't the four of us just talk?"

"Will that be before or after you lock us up on your TARDIS?" Sara challenged.

The Doctor sighed. "You both have abilities and need protection. Guidance." He tried. "I give you my word that I intend no harm." He was silent for a moment. "Aren't you both hungry? Been traveling without having a bite to eat. Perhaps we could just discuss-"

Sara suddenly cut him off. She now knew what she had to do even though she detested it. It was to the same degree that she detested raising a weapon against Adelaide but if Sara had never been in that universe….she walked to the corner of the bus station so the clerk couldn't overhear her words. No one else should hear what she was about to say. _God forgive me. _She took a deep breath. Desperate times called for desperate measures. For the sake of this universe and the Doctor's own timeline, he HAD to stop chasing them.

"You know what, Doctor. You're right. You've changed my mind. I'm tired of running. Why don't you come meet me face to face so I can shoot you again? How did that feel, by the way? I promise I'll make my target more interesting next time. I'll be sure to regenerate you. I could kill you then. Couldn't I?" This time she was bluffing. She was technically able to cause him to regenerate but she knew she never would.

"Sara..."

"Oh, but where's the fun in that? I'll tell you what. You leave me and my friend alone, and I'll leave you and your friends alone."

"Threatening me isn't going to..."

"Sarah Jane Smith," she said the name with conviction. "She's a friend of yours. Isn't she? Oh, and she has a son, Luc."

"You wouldn't."

"I wouldn't?!" Sara challenged, her voice a hiss. "Now, where do they live? Oh, that's right. Banterman Road."

The Time Lord became very quiet.

"Then there's Jo Grant. She's got great grandchildren now." Sara remembered seeing Jo's guest appearance on the only episode of "The Sarah Jane Smith Adventures" she'd ever watched. "Then there's Elizabeth Shaw. Is she still alive?" She remembered the name she'd only vaguely heard from "Classic Who." "Doesn't matter," Sara continued her threat. "The Brigadier is still alive. Brigadier Stuart, living out his final days peacefully in an old folks home." Sara remembered how the show made mention of the Brigadier when the actor who played him passed away during the eleventh Doctor's reign. She didn't really know who he was, only that he was from "Classic Who." Sara tried to think if there were any other names she could throw at the Doctor, making her empty threat more believable. "Oh, and he's got a daughter. Kate..."

"Enough!" shouted the Time Lord. "Enough. You've made your point." The alien swallowed down his fear. He'd never seen anyone in all his travels as precognitive as Sara. A cold feeling began to settle in his hearts. Could this human really harm all his friends? Was she truly so powerful all she had to do was think or ask a question, and she knew the answer? For only the second time since he'd lost Rose, the Doctor was grateful she was safely in another dimension. The only other time he'd cherished her not being with him was when the Master had recently taken over the Earth.

"Good," Sara answered through the phone. "Good. It's nice to know we agree. Enough is enough. So." She took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice strong and steady, while inside she was a trembling mess. "You stay away from us. Stay out of our lives. We'll never write anything more about you. We promise never to tell anyone what we know. And we'll never go near the ones you love. But Doctor?"

"Yes," he answered through clenched teeth.

"Break this deal, and their lives are forfeit." Sara hung up the phone. Her hands were shaking as she walked back to the clerk and returned her phone. Sara felt ill. She slid onto a bench at the far corner of the station while, burying her face into the crook of her elbow, and cried.

Penny had watched the entire conversation and Sara's reactions to it. She knew exactly what it cost Sara to say those things she did to the Doctor. Immediately, she went over to her friend and put her arms around her, offering her the only comfort she was able.

"It's okay, Sara." Penny told her. "You had to. You…" She knew Sara didn't mean a word of what she had just threatened on the phone to do to the Doctor's companions. If there was one thing she didn't need to be told, it was that Sara wasn't a killer.

"I'm sorry, Penny!" Sara was sobbing. "I…" She gasped feeling bile rise to her throat. She was overwhelmed by nausea. "I…" She struggled to breathe, thinking once more of Adelaide, the smell of her blood on her hands. The Doctor glaring at her accusingly, calling her a murderer.

"I know." Penny told her. "I know." She repeated. "It's okay. We'll be all right." Maybe what Sara said was enough. The words her friend said had chilled her to the core but this time, maybe the Doctor would leave them alone. There was a sinking sensation in her chest.

"I…" Sara still felt sick to her stomach for all the words she had just said. She had resorted to being the worst part of herself. She heard it in the Doctor's voice. He thought she was a monster. He knew….

"Bathroom…." Sara whispered, her hair drenched in sweat. "I'm going to be…"

She barely made it inside a stall before the contents of her stomach emptied inside the toilet in front of her and she collapsed on the floor, her head buried against her knees. She didn't even hear the outer door being opened. She had no idea that the Doctor was in the nearby vicinity to hear the entire conversation between herself and Penny after she disconnected from the call so he knew precisely where she was heading. She had forgotten in that moment how exceptional his hearing could be.

So she was caught entirely unaware when the bathroom stall she was in suddenly jarred opened from the outside. She barely had a chance to scream as she attempted to stumble to her feet. The Doctor never hesitated this time, immediately wrapping an arm around her, gripping her tightly, while she struggled frantically. He immediately pulled her upright and placed two fingers to her temple as she tried to shriek in protest. Within seconds, he had rendered her unconscious and he breathed a steady sigh of relief before lifting her up in his arms and carrying her out the backdoor, directly to his TARDIS.

Upon finishing that last conversation with Sara, he knew he needed to act immediately and take her directly into custody. There was no further time to wait when it came to the threats she had just made even if he wasn't entirely sure of the validity behind them. This human was still especially dangerous and he wasn't about to take any chances so he immediately placed her in sickbay, administering a sedative for good measure. A mental command to his TARDIS would keep her confined there until he recovered Penelope.

Reluctantly, he had decided to allow Donna to approach the girl first but after initiating the first series of tests on Sara, he strode out of the time machine, keeping watch on the bus station. If Penelope tried to run, he would be duly prepared.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Penny sat on the cool, leather seat, waiting for Sara to return from the bathroom. Kicking her hovering feet absently, she worried her lower lip, wondering how she could possibly help her friend through this. Everything had been going so terribly wrong since Thursday. She should've known something was going to happen, bad things almost always happened on Thursdays, which were horrible days anyway, worse than Mondays and twice as long.

Still, what could she do? Sara was usually the one who had the plans, who knew what action should happen next. Penny just…followed. She was never much of a leader. Sometimes, she'd throw in a few ideas and would be content with that contribution, but now, that simply wouldn't suffice. Sara was at her wits end. She was scared, terrified, and trying so, so hard. There had to be something that Penny could do…but what?

Frustrated with herself, the red head slouched in her seat and blew out a heavy sigh, making the fringe of her hair drift upwards momentarily before returning to its previous position. Squirming, she directed her gaze at the clock. It was nine thirty-one. Penny frowned.

Now, she hadn't exactly been paying attention to the time, but it had been awhile since Sara had left, hadn't it? Penny couldn't remember, making her worry. What if Sara's lie didn't work? What if it made everything worse? The Doctor never liked it at all when his friends were threatened, and the people who usually did the threatening were much, far more dangerous than the two of them. They almost never succeeded, and if by chance they did, they suffered for it. The Doctor would always make sure of that.

And really, who could stand up to the Doctor, the Oncoming Storm, the Destroyer of Worlds, the Time Lord Victorious? Penny could only think of one person, and that individual was currently sick to her stomach in the bathroom.

Really, properly scared now, Penny stood up, brushing her long hair aside in an anxious fashion. She should probably go check on Sara. Even if she was just taking an extra-long time to sort out her upset stomach and compose herself, she shouldn't be alone. Sara had always made sure that she wasn't by herself when Penny had one of her episodes or couldn't get to sleep. The younger woman had always made sure to return the favor when applicable, but now would be a perfect time to render that kindness to her friend.

Decision made, Penny wandered around the bench twice, locating Sara's purse, before making to traipse over to the restrooms, when someone stepped in front of her, blocking the way. "Sorry," Penny murmured, not paying attention. She immediately made to circumvent the woman in front of her.

"No," A kind British voice interceded. "It's my fault. I just want to talk to you and couldn't see any other way of gettin' your attention. You were just thinking so hard!" Startled, Penny looked up to see Donna Noble standing right in front of her and opened her mouth to let out a scream when the older woman hurriedly hushed her. "Oh, don't do that, Sweetheart. I just want to talk, you and me. The Doctor isn't here this time, just me, promise."

Gnawing on her lip, Penny warily glanced around the room. True to Donna's word, Penny couldn't spot the Doctor anywhere. But then again, nor could she spot Sara, and that made her uneasy. Still, it was just to talk. "Um…'Kay," Penny agreed. "B-But only for a little bit. S-Sara's not feeling well." She winced. Oh, why did she say that? Clever, indeed. Couldn't even keep her mouth shut.

"Only for a little bit," Donna agreed quickly. "Just a quick moment to explain everything, why we'd been chasin' the two of you."

"But I already know why," Penny protested, causing Donna to blink in astonishment. "Sara's already had this happen to her before, in another reality…" She hesitated before pushing forward. "The Doctor of that universe, he…he wasn't right. Said he was only trying to protect her and the universe. Trapped her on the TARDIS, was going to keep her there, locked in her room for the rest of her life! Said he was going to protect her, but no one could protect her from him! _He_ was the one the universe needed protecting from, not Sara!"

Donna's eyes widened in shock and Penny was so worked up, she couldn't stop herself from continuing, "Didn't even snap out of it when he _broke a fixed point in time_-!" The younger girl gasped in horror at what she just revealed, slapping her hands over her own mouth, as if to trap any more destructive knowledge before it escaped. She trembled at the realization of what she had just done. It was one thing to reveal that Sara wasn't in the best of shape but quite another to reveal information like she just did. This slip up…there's wasn't any moving on from it. It couldn't be ignored or forgotten.

"I-I-I…" Penny swallowed hard, stutter returning full force. "I'm sorry! I d-d-didn't m-mean it!"

"He…he what?" Donna asked, mouth dry and voice hoarse.

"I'm s-sorry!" Penny sobbed. "I…I said t-too much. Wasn't c-careful. I…I have to go, c-can't stay. Ruined everything. N-N-Not safe." She whirled around and sprinted out of the bus station, her only thought that moment was on escape.

The bus she and Sara had been riding on previously was just beginning to pull away. _I can make it_, she thought. _I can make it_. She was closing the distance rapidly and reached her arm out, attempting to grab the driver's attention. Fifteen yards. Ten yards. Five-

An arm reached out and snagged her, pulling her off balance and into her captor's grip. Penny screamed and thrashed, making the Doctor unable to get a steady hold on her and place his fingers correctly without fear of stabbing her in the eye. In fact, his attempt only succeeded in getting his hand bitten, surprising both himself and Penny at the unexpected action. She had only done it instinctively when his finger had gotten too close and with her emotions so unstable… It was enough of a distraction for her to break his lax grip on her person.

At first, no one had noticed their little struggle, as the Doctor had been wearing a perception filter. It was how he managed to get close enough to listen in on Penny and Donna's conversation and how he was able to sneak up behind the girl without her noticing. But now, with Penny still screaming for help and sobbing loudly without being in direct physical contact with him, she couldn't be ignored any longer. In fact, neither could he with everyone on red alert. He had drawn attention to them the instant he relaxed his grip on her that moment and allowing Penny to escape his hold.

The Doctor cursed as several police officers approached an incoherent Penny, and one began to talk into his radio, struggling to focus on the Doctor but mostly succeeding. He would have to return for her later since everything had gotten too far out of hand. It wasn't just this situation, but also the blotched conversation between Penny and Donna. It was one thing, for Donna to be told that he might erase her memories, but quite another that he would indeed break a fixed point in time, especially since their venture to Pompeii had happened not that long ago.

Too much going on. Too many problems to juggle all at once.

One thing at a time.

The Doctor let himself meld into the crowd of onlookers, easily evading the officer's searching eyes and disappearing. He re-entered the station where Donna was waiting. No, not even that, just sitting blankly on the wooden bench with leather cushions. "Come on," he told her softly. "We have to go."

Worriedly, Donna didn't argue, just mutely following him back to the TARDIS, without saying another word.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Sara jolted awake finding herself once again back in a nightmare. She could recognize the TARDIS sickbay anywhere and shivers started going through her as she looked around the room for any other occupants.

_Is Penny here? Did he…_But the room appeared to be empty. She alone was the sole patient. _Patient. _She thought with sudden fury. _Who am I kidding? I'm a prisoner. _She was angry at her situation. _Why wouldn't he just listen? Why couldn't he back off? _She gritted her teeth as she pushed herself off the bed feeling the distinct remains of lethargy in her system. He had drugged her, she was certain of it and whatever sedative he used was attempting to urge her back into slumber. _No! _She had to stay awake and she took deep breaths to keep adrenaline pumping through her veins in order to fight the tranquilizer.

She ran to the door only to find it jammed. It wouldn't open regardless of the effort she spent pulling on it. Slamming her fist into the wood, she turned facing the room that had haunted her nightmares in sheer rage. How soon would he take to strapping her down? Would she spend the rest of her life in here? She simply couldn't fathom it as she raced towards the table carrying all kinds of medical equipment. Remembering all the tests the other Doctor had performed on her, every single time he forced her to sleep, crept into her mind without consent, she suddenly tossed the table aside, causing glass to shatter and instruments to skew all over the floor.

"Coward!" She screamed. "You freaking coward!" At that moment, she felt nothing but contempt mixed in with her own fear. No. Her anger would overcome her terror. She continued in her progression, knocking over every device she could find, destroying specimens that were encased in glass on the surface. This was his punishment, his reckoning for taking her like this. For lying to her in the first place. For wrenching her away from a normal life. He couldn't simply ask them to stop writing. No. They both made that offer. It wasn't enough. He wanted to lock them onboard to torment them.

She tried to break the monitors that were over the bed but they were covered in hard coated textured glass. The drawers wouldn't open, giving her access to other materials in the sickbay. She proceeded to knock over the medbay beds in succession when she felt something begin to dribble down her arm. Sara glanced. It was blood. During the chaos when she proceeded to break everything she could get her hands on, she didn't notice the glass cutting into her skin leaving several significant welts. She clenched her teeth.

She nearly toppled over the surgical bay when she noticed the one device that escaped her attention thus far and she let out a brief shudder. The stasis field. Apparently, he had one too. He could indeed bind her to the bed anytime he chose. He could….

"No!" She exclaimed and grabbing the hard metal tray that lay beside her on the floor, she brought it down without even so much as a second thought. The device controlling the stasis field cracked but it wasn't enough so she whacked the tray against it hard again and again feeling all her fury for the agony of being rendered helpless by that mechanism ripple through her. Eventually it sparked and all power the device emitted was rendered inert. Destroyed. She had obliterated the thing that the other Doctor had used to torment her and for a moment, she felt a surge of satisfaction race through her.

For a moment….she stood there shaking, the tray still in her hands. But then she remembered the door….

It changed nothing. She was still locked inside. Still a prisoner by a Time Lord and there was simply no escape. The piece of metal fell from her hands and she collapsed to her knees, weeping uncontrollably, hands wrapped around her arms.

_What am I going to do? _She gasped for breath. _What am I…_

She could hardly think anymore….the dripping blood mixed with the remains of the sedative was causing her to feel drowsy again. She blinked her eyes hazily but her dizziness would not dissipate. Sounds echoed in her ears. Distantly, she heard Penny's voice attempting to reassure her, telling her to go to sleep. That she would watch out for her. Then she heard her father reminding her that he loved her just before she boarded the plane that took her to London. Jessica reminding her what fish to buy at Pikes Market.

She tried to shake it away. The memories. If the Doctor found her…found the room like this….wouldn't he strap her down? Experiment on her? Force himself into her mind once again? She couldn't take that…not again. She managed to seize the medbay table, one after another, establishing a barricade for herself in the corner, the metal hiding her from view. Maybe it would protect her for a little while. Just for when she closed her eyes and drifted a bit. He might not even see that she was there. She could hope. Sara could certainly pray.

There she collapsed, crouched in the corner, slipping into unconsciousness, a small pool of blood starting to form from her unintentional self inflicted injuries completely unaware when the Doctor returned, a look of shock across his face to see the chaos that Sara had rendered in his absence to his sickbay.

Sara was jarred awake at the sound of metal scrapping against the floor. Her barricade was being rendered useless and her eyes flew open as the Doctor started to approach. She scrambled away quickly over one of the remaining medbay beds, wrapping her arms around herself. _Did he find Penny? Does he..._But no. Penny was nowhere in sight which filled Sara with some relief. She had been right all along. Penny was more clever then people gave her credit for.

"Get away from me." She warned, darting between another bed she had managed to topple as the Doctor sighed, but nevertheless approached. Fury once again overwhelmed her. "So, liked what I did with the place?" She mocked, allowing sarcasm to overcome her fear. "I think it looks better this way. Believe me, I've had a lot of personal experience." Her eyes flashed. "So much to compare it to." Sara felt the sting of the welts in her arms but once again, it didn't bother her. The pain gave her focus. It was what she needed to confront someone like him.

"Welcome aboard, Sara." The Doctor's face was stern. He was unyielding. Although the evidence of Sara's temper tantrum was impressive, he'd seen worse. He'd been a father once after all. And when dealing with humans, what else should he expect? Wait. Was that his Trilimin cardio stabilizer in pieces? It was. Sara had practically obliterated it. He took in the remaining shards laying on his floor with his eyes, realizing there would be no way to repair it. Oh! He internally winced. That looked like his vascular scanner. And that was... He clenched his jaw. That looked like the remains of his laser retinal regenerator. The Time Lords demeanor chilled as he took in the damage. He took in the sheer number of medical appliances she'd broken. Quite a few pieces of destroyed equipment were irreplaceable. The Doctor took in a deep breath, trying to keep himself calm. He knew losing his temper wouldn't bring back what he'd lost today. "I see you've made yourself at home," he continued.

"Home?" Sara sneered at him. "Is that what you call this?" Oh, how she hated this room and this Doctor must have known it. Did this to her on purpose. He was looking at the items she had broken with distinct regret. Good. She'd only wish she had done more. "Going to lock me up in here for sixty years too?" She inhaled through her nose. "Was that the plan?" She clenched her jaw. "Did I ruin that for you?" She gestured to the surgical bay. "Guess binding me to a bed is out. Such a shame. He loved using the stasis field on me too. For two days at a time!" She was shaking. This was a nightmare. "He-"

Suddenly, the door to the sickbay opened and Donna stepped in, likely to provide intercession or assistance. At that moment, Sara didn't care which. She just reacted. Immediately, she was on her feet and out the door hearing only the Doctor shout behind her. _The console room. Just have to make it there. _She knew the Doctor would deadlock the door but she had plenty of experience with the switches. If she could flip them in time and run outside, she could get back to Penny. She could get away from him.

The Doctor moved to begin cleaning up the disaster in his medical bay.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Donna. "That girl..."

"Is dangerous, and needs some time to run off her extra adrenaline," the Doctor finished.

"So, that's it?" asked the companion. "We go through months of jumping back in her time stream to give her phone messages and get her on board, and then you just let her leave? What about how dangerous you said she was? What about all that energy you said she had in her system? What about...?"

"Donna." The Doctor's voice was soft as he gently took hold of his friend's upper arms. "It's fine. She can't leave the TARDIS." The Doctor turned, and began cleaning up the room again. "Even if she made it to the console room... Which she can't, by the way. Internal physical loop." He tapped his head like he'd done something impressive. "We're in the vortex. And before you worry about her falling out of the TARDIS into the vortex, I'll tell you. TARDIS safety protocols won't allow the doors to open until we're back in real time. Alright?"

"Ok." She grimaced. Donna began turning a bed back into its proper position. "What's an internal physical loop?"

"Oh, it's uh..."

Sara bolted back into the infirmary, and stopped short.

"That." The Doctor waved his hand toward Sara who promptly turned, and ran the other way. "I have it centered on me."

"What's that mean?"

"She can run until her hearts content. But the TARDIS will always lead her back to wherever I am."

Donna was quiet for a moment. The idea of the Doctor having that much control over her surroundings was frightening.

"I think we should leave the infirmary then," offered Donna.

"What?" He looked at her. "Why?"

Donna rolled her eyes. "Because she's terrified of this room, dumbo."

"Really?" He looked around the area. "How do you know that?"

"Just look what she did to the place. Do you think this is normal?"

"Well, no. But I thought it was just because she was..."

"Was what?" Donna questioned.

"Weeeell..."

Donna gave him a look when he didn't continue. "Human?" she finished for him.

"You have to admit humans can be pretty volatile at times."

Donna slugged him in the arm.

"Ouch." He grimaced at his companion. "I think you just made my point," he pointed out.

"C'mon." Donna turned to leave the infirmary.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"Kitchen. That girl could use a cuppa."

The Doctor followed behind Donna.

"Donna," he began his sentence. "I don't want you alone with Sara," he warned her as they made their way down the corridor. "We don't know what she's capable of. She's shot me, threatened to kill me, and you know what I told you about the other threats. Who knows what else she's done?"

"Or what she's been through to make her this way," Donna added.

"Right." Sara's broken sentences from the infirmary and her obvious post traumatic stress disorder came to the Doctor's mind. "Point is. I don't want you alone with her until we know exactly what we're dealing with. Understood?"

"Understood," answered Donna. She'd been there when Sara shot the Doctor, and she'd heard Sara's threats over the phone. Besides, Sara had threatened to shoot Donna as well. And Donna could admit she'd been properly frightened in that moment. So, she could respect the Doctor for wanting to be cautious. And part of her was touched the alien cared enough about her to worry. It's not like she was anything special after all. She was just some temp from Chizwick.

The friends entered the kitchen, and Donna set to work at making some tea.

Sara gritted her teeth. She was going in one circuitous loop around the TARDIS. She couldn't even find the console room. Even the Time Lord Victorious hadn't circumvented her like this. He just...a sob rose in her throat. She remembered the days when she was confined to her room, starving herself, dying from dehydration. The shadows moving off the walls to claim her. In these hallways, she could almost see them again. She paused down the corridor. She heard the Doctor and Donna talking, deciding to move to the kitchen. The Doctor called her dangerous. Dangerous. She slowly stepped forward, glancing inside. He had made headway, cleaning up some of the mess inside the room but...suddenly, there was a glimmer of hope. In the Doctor's distraction, he had left his sonic on the laboratory table. Likely by mistake. Possibly to examine the ruin she left behind. She didn't care which at this point. She suddenly had an idea. One that started back when she was taken by the Cybermen while the Doctor used her energy to destroy them. Only there was a casualty no one but her remembered.

_Maybe he was right. _Sara thought. _Maybe I am a murderer. _She closed her eyes briefly to steel herself. She didn't have time for this now. Seizing the instrument left behind, the TARDIS seemed to lead her to the kitchen while she witnessed the Doctor and Donna shared a pot of tea. She hated having to do this. Again. Why? Why did she have to be the monster? She took a deep breath.

"Sara," Donna spoke first. "Made us some tea. Would you like a cuppa? Might help you to-"

"Let me out." Sara interrupted the companion, looking at the Doctor squarely who slowly rose to his feet. "Let me out right now!" He was about to refuse, shaking his head when she lifted his sonic out for him to see. "Forget something, Doctor?"

He gaped at her and she looked at him stonily. "Maybe I forgot too, what a liar you could be but hey, look, it's my lucky day." She exclaimed. "Well, for me anyway." She gripped the sonic tightly as he started to move towards her and she grit her teeth. "Want to hear a story? Promise you it's one you haven't read before. See, the Cybermen took me. Were going to upgrade me but all this energy inside me, well I was incompatible. Still hurt like crazy. Funny, huh?" She mocked. "Then they decided they had a way to make me a Cyberking. You know what that is?" She didn't wait for him to reply before continuing. "That Doctor who took me...such a charmer, used my energy, depolarized it with this and wait...this is the best part, killed all the Cybermen at once. Also, ripped a child right out of existence."

He was coming towards her too fast and she lifted the sonic towards her temple. "STOP!" She exclaimed. "You think I won't?!" She challenged. "Had that sonic for over a year. I've been practicing." So she had, but she hadn't a clue of what setting to use to depolarize her energy. "You have NO idea! Lost my entire world and then he tortured me! Tried to destroy the universe! Locked me in the room. Told me I had better get used to it! It would be my home for the next sixty years! Strapped me to a bed with your stasis field. Not waiting around for you to become the Time Lord Victorious or the Valeyard!" She spat. "So, let me off right now. Take me back to Penny or I'll use it." She had to hope he wouldn't call her bluff this time. Even if she knew which setting to use, she would never actually go through with it but all she could sense was her own desperation. Penny was out there alone. She broke out in a cold sweat. Her hands were clammy. "Just take me back home!"

"Sara." The Doctor lifted his hands in a placating gesture, and took two steps back. "Take it easy." He knew if she had the right setting and used it to depolarize her energy in the vortex within a TARDIS, she could create an explosion so great it would last through out time, eating away at all of existence. She could destroy all reality from the inside out. He took another step away from her. "It's alright. You don't have to do this." He glanced at Donna, making sure she was alright. He knew the Valeyard was one of his possible futures, but he had no idea who the Time Lord Victorious was. Maybe she'd seen his Valeyard time line, and that's why she was so afraid of him. Then again, from her description it sounded like she'd been kidnaped and tortured. Maybe all of this was from her PTSD.

"Tell me about him," asked the Doctor. "You said a doctor did something to you?" Maybe if he could keep her talking she'd calm down. Maybe she would finally realize he wasn't out to hurt her.

It was working. He believed she somehow knew how to depolarize her own energy. "What do you care?" She challenged. "You lied to me from the beginning. John Caligari wasn't it? Oh wait, that's right. The Doctor _always _lies." She took a deep breath. "Bet it never occurred to you that you could of simply asked us to stop writing? No. We're just stupid, little humans to you." She paused. "Oh, except for Rose. She's special, isn't she?"

She heard the Doctor take a swift intake of air at the mention of his former companion's name.

"You don't get it." Sara said. "I've been through all this before! Another reality, he stole me. Dragged me right out of a hotel! Forced me to sleep over and over. Crawled his way inside my mind repeatedly. My only friend..." Her voice started to crack. "I had to watch her die and he dragged me away from her body, just leaving her there! Then," She paused. "He tried to break to break the rules of time." Again, she remembered Adelaide's death. The smell. The blood on her hands. "A fixed point. She had to die but I couldn't... and she rushed me. Gun went off. He called me a murderer. Said he would lock me in my room for the rest of my life. The same four walls...I..." Sara paused, trying to regain control of herself. "Maybe that's all I am." She swallowed. "Too much a danger to have onboard. That Doctor...everything he became was because I was thrown into his reality. Because I was there. Getting the picture? Want to avoid the same thing from happening to you?" She asked. "Then let me go. Let me off right now. That's it. No more stories. We'll disappear. You'll never hear from Penny and I again, OR" She clenched her teeth. "Know right now, that I would rather die then be tortured again in your sickbay." She let out a shuddering breath. "How soon were you planning on using that stasis field on me, huh? Was it just oversight that you didn't use it already or were you saving it until I was awake like he did?!"

"I'm... I'm," the Doctor stepped back running his hand through his hair distractedly. "I'm really trying here, Sara. But I'm not, I'm not understanding you." He stepped away from Donna, glancing again at his companion. "Let me get this straight. You and your friend were kidnapped, by... by a telepath." He bumped a chair absentmindedly while he was trying to figure this out. "You said he crawled into your mind." She'd said her kidnapper tried to break a fixed point in time. Maybe her kidnapper learned about a future he didn't want from Sara's mind, and tried to stop it from happening. "He tried to stop a fix point in time and your friend died. He blamed you, and tried to lock you up using a stasis field?" Well, that would make sense. Stasis field generators were common enough. And there was no better way of making sure someone couldn't escape custody. It would also explain her fear of his infirmary, and why she didn't trust anyone. Being locked in a stasis field for a long period of time would be torture. "And you believe if this doctor never met you, he wouldn't have become so cruel. You think it's your fault. Is that right?" The Doctor tried to catch Sara's eyes. Maybe if he could just get her to look directly into his eyes, he could take control. But would she know that? Would her precognitive abilities warn her about his telepathic hypnosis?

_Oh my God. _Sara shook her head. "You idiot!" She shrieked. "Are you really this...?" She couldn't even think of the word. "It was YOU!" Her hand trembled holding the sonic. "It was a version of you in another reality! Same regeneration. Same everything!" She was breathing heavily. "It wasn't a doctor, it was the Doctor!" She glared at him. "Surely, you know other versions of you exist or are you so egocentric to believe you're the only one? In all the billions of realities?" She grit her teeth. "Simple minded moron...where do you think I got the sonic from? Magic?" She could hardly breathe, filled with utter rage. "Took it from him after he shot ME!"

The Doctor's eyes widened and Sara just looked at him. "Oh yes, he used a gun. Wilfred Mott. Name ring a bell?" She looked at Donna. "Oh, it would, wouldn't it?" She glanced back at the Doctor. "He shot me with Wilf's own gun." She shrugged. "Don't believe me?" She looked at Donna. "He never took arms. Never used a gun despite the fact that he served his country. I actually liked him." She pressed her lips together looking at the companion. "I felt sorry for you because..." Her voice trailed. She couldn't say it. There was nothing that could be done. Donna. The Doctor was simply going to kill her again. That alone was devastating. She couldn't bear to see it. When she was taken by the other Doctor, the task had already been accomplished.

"I was locked in the TARDIS before. In my room by your own duplicate." Sara was shaking hard, memories flashing through her mind before looking directly at the Doctor, attempting to appear strong. "It was HELL! I won't do it again. So let me off right now or..."In that singular moment, she had forgotten about not making eye contact with the Doctor. Hers was far more tactile. The one moment he used eye contact was a distant memory and she was far too overwhelmed to remember at the moment. All she wanted was to get off the TARDIS and back to Penny. Return to Seattle and pretend that none of this had ever happened.

"Breathe," the Doctor's voice was mesmerizing. He knew he'd made contact. "Just breathe." He took a step closer to Sara.

"Doctor," Donna warned. She had no idea the Doctor had made the telepathic link to Sara, and was afraid she'd take action.

"Sara, why don't you give me the spoon. Then we can have a proper talk." He held out his hand, confidently waiting for Sara to give him his sonic screwdriver.

_Spoon. _Sara thought. _Why am I holding a spoon? _Words resonated through her mind and she found she could no longer hold the instrument properly. It slipped through her fingers and onto the floor. The room flickered around her. Thoughts and images flew into her head as he approached her. A memory of him looking down at her coldly while she was pinned beneath the stasis field. Him dragging her to her room telling her that it would be her home for the next sixty years. How she pleaded. She begged him. _'What would Rose say?' She challenged him. 'She made you better no matter how lost you were.'_

_'Rose is gone.' He told her coldly._

All of the Doctor's words. The memory of Christina dying on Mars. Her death. _'She was your responsibility.' _

_It was my fault. All my fault. She only came because of me._

He was dragging her to Bowie Base One as she fought him with keen desperation. _You're not the last Time Lord. I swear you're not. Please don't break the rules of time._

The Doctor...this Doctor was simply staring directly at her. Did he believe her? Or did he think her a monster?

"Please..." She didn't know what happened. How she had confused a sonic with a common kitchen utensil but desperation overcame her. She couldn't stay here. She'd rather...out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the large butcher knives, visible on the corner. _But who would help Penny? _She thought. Taking her own life was a...She could hardly think straight. _Would Penny be better off without her?_

"Please," Her voice broke. "I just want to go home. Don't do this to me. Not again." Sara begged. "Just let me go home."

"I promise, Sara, I'm not going to hurt you," the Doctor gave her his word. "I'm not going to confine you in a stasis field, and... and I won't enter your mind without your consent." He was amazed at how powerful Sara's mind was. Normally, any creature placed under Time Lord hypnosis couldn't even speak without the controller's permission. "I'm only trying to help." He gently laid his hand on her shoulder. "Do you understand?"

_Help. _She could hardly get those words out. His eyes were fixed on her and suddenly she knew what was happening. _Telepathy. _What he just said was a lie. His promise. His word. At the moment, she couldn't break eye contact. She could hardly move, let alone speak. _No...not again. _She thought in desperation, knowing he was asserting control over her. This time with full purpose and intent, she focused her thoughts on the Doctor's name, bringing it to the forefront of her mind. If it worked before, it should work now.

The command he had over her mind suddenly broke and she stumbled in place, shaking her head. "Liar!" She shrieked. "Your word, huh?!" She ranted. "You freaking liar!" At once, she moved to fetch the sonic that was still lying on the floor. She needed leverage once again to get off the TARDIS. How could the Doctor just stand there, give her his promise while doing the very thing he swore he wouldn't do? She was furious.

The Doctor kicked the sonic screwdriver out of Sara's reach, and toward Donna before she could get ahold of it. He was shocked she'd been able to break his hypnotic trance. He was by no means the strongest Time Lord mind. But Sara was only human. There's no way she should have been able to do that. He looked back at Donna, making sure she had the sonic screwdriver in hand before turning his attention to Sara.

"Depolarizing your energy would kill you, and probably kill everyone who ever lived or ever will live." He looked seriously at the human. "I won't allow that." His demeanor grew slightly darker. "You seem to be bent on the idea of killing me, killing my friends, killing yourself, and now, killing all of time. It. Won't. Happen." He stepped closer to Sara. "I'm not lying when I say I have no intention of harming you. But I'm warning you, Sara. Force my hand, and I will choose the survival of the universe over one life every time." He walked over to Donna, took his screwdriver and put it back in his pocket. "Go where you want," he told Sara without facing her. "Do what you want." He mentally changed the parameters of where the TARDIS would allow Sara to go. She would be allowed full access to every room in the ship so long as there was nothing in the room with which she could harm herself or others. He wouldn't allow her in his console room. "When you're ready to talk, come and find me." The furious Time Lord marched out of the kitchen without so much as looking at his new charge. _Time to grow up, human_, he thought to himself as he walked away.

He was going to torture her. He said it himself. Tears came to her eyes. She could hardly think, hardly breathe. "Sorry." She managed to Donna. "It's...I lied. I don't even know how..." She looked at the sonic as the companion's eyes widened. "Can't do this." She could hardly think anymore. Not again...over and over...I just.." Before the companion could say a word, Sara's hand wrapped around a butcher knife. "Tell Penny..." She said shakily. _No. _That wasn't right. Maybe if she did this, they would just leave her friend alone. It was because of Sara, they found the two of them. It was her fault, after all. "Please, just leave Penny alone." She pleaded as she lifted the knife to her throat. "Tell her..."

Donna screamed. "Doctor! Get back here right now!"

"Of all the stupid..." The Doctor stepped forward into the room, snatching the knife from Sara's hand, and tossing it into the sink. "If this is how you behaved, I can understand why someone might want to lock you up." He looked her in the eyes. "Killing is bad," he spoke to her like she was a child. "Very. Bad." Before anyone could think to act, the nine hundred and nine year old alien took the twenty-five year old girl's hand, and pulled her into the corridor. "Now, go play."

The ancient alien stepped back into the kitchen, closing the door behind him. He sent a mental command to his TARDIS to take special precautions so Sara wouldn't find anything else to harm herself with. Besides not wishing the human girl any harm, the Doctor knew her premature death could cause the same depolarization she'd been threatening to cause with his sonic screwdriver. Ugh! This human was getting to be a pain. He sent another command to his ship to help Sara find a place to play quietly, some place that might provide her some comfort. The poor kit had been through enough trauma for one day. He brought his hand up to massage the bridge of his nose.

"I can't believe you just did that," Donna told him.

"I can't believe I did either." The Doctor let his hand drop, shaking his head. Wow, that little human could sure push his buttons.

"Thank you." Donna put her hand on his shoulder.

"For what?" He looked surprised.

"For saving her life. For saving the universe. For not giving up. Take your pick."

The Doctor smiled. "I've a feeling she's going to be a handful."

"So."

"So."

"What are you going to do with her now?"

"Nothing."

"How do you mean, nothing?"

"She's got to figure out she's safe before she'll be willing to listen. I expect she'll wonder around the TARDIS for a few days. Eventually, she'll come find me, and we'll talk."

"You know there are other ways of committing suicide," Donna commented.

"The TARDIS will make sure she's safe," he told her. The Doctor walked over to a small round panel on the kitchen wall. He opened it, and began adjusting the circuitry with his sonic. "I'm introducing micronutrients into the air ship-wide. Humans tend to stop eating when they're under stress. And this will make sure she has all the nutrition she needs while keeping her hydrated even if she stops eating altogether." He looked back at the redhead. "Sorry, Donna. It'll affect you too."

"So, I shouldn't eat for a while?"

The Doctor nodded his head. "Not unless you want to get a little..."

"A little...?"

"You know. Chunky."

"Oh." Donna nodded. "So, that's it. We sit in the vortex and wait."

The alien took in a deep breath. "No. I think we need to get a hold of Penny." He closed up the panel he was working on. "I bet we could find her before Sara calms down, especially if we enlist the help of Martha's new friends."

**Author's Note: **Such a delight to write a volatile character like this one. I hope you like the story. Please let us know how we are doing. I promise you that the connection will soon be made apparent. Reviews are appreciated.


	3. Say My Name

Penny sniffled quietly to herself as she sat in the police station. She finally just started to calm down after a second round of hysterics when the police told her that there was no sign of her friend. They had footage of her going into the bathroom when a tall man with dark brown hair wearing an overcoat entered in after her. Neither of them exited, and it could only be assumed that he dragged her out the back door and into the alley where there weren't any cameras present.

The red head had confessed everything. She managed to not mention the more…_otherworldly_ parts of the story, just saying that she personally never met their attacker before and that the only reason he was chasing them was because of the books that she and Sara had written. She only had to mention the title of the series for one of the questioning officers to understand. "You mean _you're_ the Penelope Carter, coauthor of 'Doctor Who?' My sister used to read the online articles avidly until it was taken down and the books put to print. You aren't thinking about selling internationally yet, are you?"

"Sara was the one who talked to the publisher…I didn't really talk with-with our agent. I-I got her phone number, though, she-she talked with Mr. Caligari. He said he wanted to make it into a TV show, but-but he lied. Just chased us across the border and-and now he's got S-Sara…" Penny's lower lip wobbled dangerously, but she managed to take a steadying breath, wiping away tears. "Won't leave us alone…I'm scared."

"We won't let him take you, Ms. Carter," the officer promised. "We got the RCMP involved. International affairs are higher than our pay grade of 'regular members.' We also had to contact the liaison officer situated in Seattle, US. It's a difficult position that we're in. Even though you and Ms. Thomas are citizens of America, you're on Canadian soil where this man is currently being charged as the abductor of your friend. Until we work everything out…You can't leave the country as the primary witness. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Penny murmured, voice small. "I'm not going to go anywhere without Sara. She's all I have."

The officer looked at her in pity, before asking kindly, "Would you like a cup of coffee? I can go fetch you one."

She smiled, "Thanks, I would like that very much." Penny watched the officer nod and leave the reception area, leaving the girl to listen to the chatter and organized chaos happening around her. The hustle and bustle of the place comforted Penny, as she doubted the Doctor would be able to abscond with her without _someone_ noticing. Then again, Sara's Doctor from the other dimension had done it under the noses of hundreds of people. Who's to say that he couldn't do the same here?

_Just don't wander off_, Penny warned herself. _If I stay here where it's safe, I'll be fine. The police can sort it out._ Idly, she wondered why people didn't go to police more often, or at all really, in TV shows. This was probably the safest she had felt since Thursday, moments before there had been a knock on her door.

The ambient noise in the room increased a fraction before lowering to quieter level than it was previously. If Penny hadn't been anxiously alert for any change in her environment, she might've have subconsciously dismissed it, not even noticed the slight shifts in volume. As it was, she curiously and apprehensively sat straighter, trying to peer over at the entrance to the station to see what the cause of this was. More uniformed officers entered the reception area. Some seemed to resemble the police officers who had been talking with her previously but they were obviously with higher rank. The rest, however, were unmistakably UNIT soldiers.

There were some slight differences in the uniform. Instead of the olive green jacket and slacks with the red beret that she had been expecting, the uniform was all black with a long yellow stripe on the sides of the slacks. The badge had the UNIT symbol but there was also a small patch for the flag of Canada on the left sleeve. Very unlike what she remembered from the episodes of Classic Who and the new Doctor Who. Some of this could be attributed at differences in Canadian and British uniforms, but it was more likely discrepancies between the show and real life.

Still, the uniform was recognizable enough to panic Penny. Not wanting to attract attention while the soldiers and officers were conferring with one another near the door, Penny quietly slipped out of the room and down the hall. She had honestly no idea where she was going at the moment and was extremely upset with herself that she had to break her 'don't wander off' rule so quickly, but she was left with little choice in the matter.

Frantically, she searched for a hiding place, looking for empty meeting or interrogation room. Unfortunately, all the vacant rooms were tightly secured with no way for Penny to sneak inside them. Further up ahead, she caught sight of an open vent and felt gratified, figuring that she had found her escape route. However, this was not meant to be, the vent being too small for her to squeeze inside of it and it rested just high enough out of reach for her short stature.

Raised voices could be heard further down the hall and Penny squeaked, intuitively knowing that she was the reason why. Walking hurriedly now, she ducked down hallways and behind depressions in the walls made for doors, avoiding any people that she caught sight of. This ended up with the young woman becoming hopelessly lost and finding herself near the custody suite where criminals and offenders were being held.

The doors of the holding cells reminded her of the entrances that had been used at her high school, mostly metal with a single narrow window on the top half with thick glass. Most schools were starting to get sturdier doors such as these as a safety precaution, but Penny always thought that it just reinforced the idea that school sometimes seemed like a prison for minors.

Regardless, a few of the doors to the holding cells were open, and Penny chose one, hurriedly shutting it behind her. There was a click and her fate was now sealed inside the cell. She hunkered down on the floor, resting against the door and out of direct view of the window, her legs really being the only thing visible if a person looked straight down. It wasn't her first choice, but being so hopelessly lost and with UNIT on the lookout for her, she'd take what she could get.

And really, who'd think to look for her here?

No one, apparently.

A lockdown was announced minutes later, causing the person in the next cell over to get excited and bang against the walls and door. There was a faint din audible through the thick door, and Penny could only assume that the other people in the holding cells were just as excited. She wondered if they thought that someone had actually broke _out of_ instead of broke _into_ one of the cells. She found it funny and let out a small laugh.

Her. Breaking into and hiding in a cell. No one would believe it. Heck, she could hardly believe it herself!

Penelope Elaine Carter: Criminal Mastermind.

Move over Lex Luther, your replacement has arrived.

Hysterical laughter bubbled at the back of her throat, which Penny determinedly fought it back. Now was not the time for silly jokes about villains from the comic books she used to read so avidly. Although she was certainly crazy enough for the comparison, she didn't really care for science, so the idea of her being a stand in for Lex Luther was doubly absurd. Maybe it would be more apt to say she was like the Joker, only a lot less evil and twice the amount of bad jokes.

She was getting off topic and distracted, not a good combination when a person was on the run. Shaking her head, Penny frowned determinedly. She would not get preoccupied again, she needed to pay attention, lest she needed to start running again!

Speaking of being on the run, why was UNIT here at all? She vaguely realized that if the Doctor was real, so would UNIT and Torchwood, but still. As far as she knew, they didn't have a real incentive to be present. Maybe it was because the Doctor was involved? But that didn't make much sense. There were other times the Doctor was investigating occurences when UNIT existed and they didn't interfere. How bizarre.

Maybe it was because she identified herself as one of the authors for 'Doctor Who.'

But if that was the case, why hadn't they come for her and Sara earlier? So confusing. Maybe it was a coincidence? Penny wasn't for sure, as she didn't know much about UNIT, but it was possible that they were only here because it was a… How did that officer put it? An international affair. For all Penny knew, she was probably running from some much needed help, but she couldn't take that risk. She had to be strong for her friend. Avoid capture for as long as possible so Sara could find a way to escape herself. Her older friend was so smart. She'd find a way out for sure. Sara knew which switches on the console were for the deadlocks, or so she said, so it was entirely possible for her to get out of the TARDIS, should the Doctor land.

Or, at least, Penny thought so. She couldn't be for sure, since she hadn't been in the TARDIS long and most of the time she spent unconscious.

Time passed. Penny couldn't tell how long since there wasn't a clock in the holding cell she was in. At one point, she had heard loud voices of what must've been the police and soldiers of UNIT, but they only visited the custody suite briefly before leaving once again. The red head felt rather triumphant at what she gathered before they did leave, "I wonder if the Doctor already got a hold of this Penelope and just neglected to tell us. Wouldn't surprise me."

Soon, she was alone with the other cellmates in the suite, and felt almost proud with herself. Hiding was what she was best at, and no one could really beat her in the patience game, either. She'd wait here all day if she had to.

But she rather hoped that wouldn't be necessary, as she was rather hungry, having not eaten anything since the day before. Even then, that had only been a muffin to go with her tea. She hadn't noticed it before, having been so stressed and there being too much action occurring around her, that she hadn't noticed the hunger pangs. Now, though, with so much time on her hands, it was hard not to give them the attention they were due. Worse was, the more she thought about them, the hungrier she felt.

Penny shifted uncomfortably and persisted to wait.

Eventually, she heard voices returning once again. The speakers were quiet, so she couldn't quite distinguish what was being said. There came a sudden scratching noise at her door, causing Penny's heart to skip a beat, and she scrambled away from the door as it was unlocked.

A stocky and short dog trotted inside the cell. Soulful eyes focused on her as it padded inside and let out a baying bark. With the coloring, general shape, long ears, and droopy countenance, Penny identified the dog as a basset, as her best friend's aunt and uncle had owned a few, great trackers. "Down boy," the officer by the door ordered. "At ease." The basset wagged its tail once and sat on its hunches, still regarding Penny with the same mournful expression.

"We've been looking everywhere for you," a UNIT soldier informed her with a displeased frown. "For over an hour, and not once did we think to check the inside of the cells. I hope you're proud of yourself."

"Sorry," Penny responded weakly. "But I just-"

He shook his head. "Doesn't matter. Out." The red head automatically yielded to his authority, scampering out of the cell where she was led back to the reception room with a strong, guiding hand on her shoulder. The grip gradually relaxed when Penny made no move to fight or resist as she was led outside. Blinking, she curiously glanced around, noticing that it was twilight now, the sun slowly setting. UNIT soldiers were everywhere, talking with the police officers that were on general alert.

The soldier next to her released his grip and spoke into his radio, "High priority target found. Ready for collection." His words made her distinctly uneasy as to what looked like the UNIT soldier in charge immediately gazed towards the two of them, focusing on Penny, herself, specifically. She made to ask what he meant by that and what was going on when she heard it. The one noise that she had been hoping to avoid, dread in her heart.

_Vworp. Vworp. Vworp._

There was the TARDIS, materializing across the street. Penny could hardly stand it. Here she was, trying so hard in the way she knew best to avoid capture, failed, and now the Doctor had to appear to rub it in her face. She actually felt a bit angry, mostly scared, but a bit mad. Without any warning whatsoever, Penny bolted, vaulting over the stair railing and into the bushes below. There was a shout behind her, but the red head didn't care as she ran and clutched the purse on her side tightly.

She needed something, _anything_ to use as a distraction. Digging in the purse, Penny managed to blindly find the sonic, remembering some of Sara's instructions. Fortunately for her, the sonic had recharged much faster then Sara had anticipated. Disjointedly, her attention was separated between the sonic and the people-who-were-right-behind-her-and-would-catch-her-if-she-didn't-hurry-up. Spotting a car up ahead, she attempted to remember the correct settings that would unlock and start the car respectively. Fumbling with the device, she flipped through the settings as she sped to the car and then aimed the sonic.

Instead of the click of the lock that she had been hoping for, the street light above the car exploded, sending glass flying everywhere and sparks raining down. The large majority of the glass landed on the car and set off the alarm, making it wail loudly. "Oh no!" Penny cried, swerving hurriedly to another direction, cutting through an alleyway. Her attempt did get her a distraction but at the cost of her escape transport, and honestly, she would've rather had the transport. At least then, she would have mobility.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," Penny mumbled under her breath, wincing and feeling guilty, but there was little else she could do. Eyes glancing desperately around her, she caught sight of a large evergreen tree. The young woman scrutinized it as she run towards it, judging to see if it was climbable. The branches appeared to be low enough and spaced evenly, but the only way to accurately tell would be if she attempted to climb it. "Got to try…"

Pressing herself to run faster and ignore the stitch at her side, Penny hurled herself at the tree, fingers curling around a thick branch. Planting her feet against the trunk, she braced herself before hooking a leg around the same branch. Swinging herself around, she sat on top of the branch and reached up, this time only needing to climb normally like she was going up a ladder or a climbing wall. Penny was up nearly thirty feet before she stopped, wedging herself between two branches and trying to calm her breathing.

Through the branches, she could just make out the last bit of the sunset before it was blocked entirely by the buildings around her, making her feel desolate, as if it was a sign that she was running out of time.

"Penelope!" A voice shouted far below and the red head closed her eyes.

No, it hadn't been a sign that she had been running out of time but, rather, her time was already up.

"You need to get down from there before you break your neck!" The Doctor sounded worried.

"I'm fine," she called back without thinking. After she thought about what she just said and hurried to add, "So you can go away now."

There was a pause before he told her in exasperation. "You know I can't do that."

"Why? Is your TARDIS broken? You can take a cab, I won't say anything," Penny retorted cheekily.

"That's not funny, Penelope. I'm being serious here."

"Oh yeah? Well, I'm very, uh, cross," she blustered. "You aren't being very nice at all."

"I'm not the one who goes around biting or hitting people with brooms," he countered. "Least of all shooting or threatening the lives of my friends."

Penny fell silent, shifting on her branch with unease. "I'm sorry," she offered contritely. "About the biting, you know. Didn't mean it do it, wasn't thinking, just scared."

"Only the biting?" The Doctor asked, this time sounded bemused.

"Well, that was an accident. I hit you with the broom on purpose."

"Well, that's not exactly how apologies work. Shouldn't you be sorry when you do things on purpose?" the Doctor asked.

"But you deserved it!" Penny exclaimed childishly. "You were the one chasing me and breaking into the apartment. Not very nice at all, just really rude and mean."

"Alright," the Doctor agreed patiently and softened his tone. "I deserved that, I s'pose, and I _am_ sorry. Didn't mean to scare you, either of you, wasn't my intention at all. I just want to help. I'm the Doctor. I like to fix things, help people, even when they think they don't need it. Remember Donna? We're friends, good friends. But once I had to be a bit rude to help her. She had dangerous energy inside of her that put other lives at risk. There were those that tried to use her for just that purpose. Thing is, the danger she was in is nothing in comparison to what you and Sara will face, alone and defenseless, if you won't let me help you, won't let me try to be a friend."

Penny hesitated, wavering. "I…" She paused with a frown. "But where is Sara? I don't know where she is. Sara knows what to do, and she doesn't trust you, doesn't like you. And-And you kidnapped her, the police said so. Sounds like something a super villain would do. I don't think I should trust you either."

There was a lengthy pause. "Do you want to see Sara? She's back on the TARDIS, and weeell, she's not in such great shape. Almost took her life…Twice. I think she needs your help, Penelope. I tried talking to her but she doesn't seem to listen to me. She might if you give it a try."

Penny was frozen in shock at what the Time Lord had just told her. "But…But…" She began weakly. "Sara wouldn't, she-she's not a…she wouldn't kill anyone and-and suicide is a sin! Sara wouldn't do that!"

"She threatened to depolarize her energy using my sonic while the TARDIS was in the vortex, which is the single most dangerous thing anyone could do. She would have destroyed the universe right at that moment. Everything that ever was, is, and could be, gone," the Doctor informed her flatly.

"No, oh, no, S-Sara," she gasped, covering her mouth in horror. "She-She couldn't have meant it. She was just saying that. She didn't mean it!"

"Then she held a knife to her own throat. Penny, I wasn't lying to you. She's in need of some serious help, and you might be able to calm her down where I can at least take care of the welts on her hands that she got from destroying part of my medbay. Bit worried that without treatment, they will become septic. Don't have the capability to amputate her hands with all the damage in there." The Doctor took to exaggeration when it came to the nature of the cuts on Sara's arms, but bending the truth gave him the results he wanted. Penny began to climb down from the tree.

The Time Lord made sure to not make any sudden movements and keep his hands where the young woman could see them, so as not to spook her when her feet touched the ground. Trembling, she warily approached him, coming to a stop a couple of feet away, just out of grasping range. Wordlessly, he offered her his hand and tactfully looked away. Penny hesitated, glancing between the Doctor's face and his hand, before slowly taking it. His hand gently grasped hers back, loose enough that Penny could break the grip if she felt she had to.

He led her back to the TARDIS, passing the car whose alarm she had set off earlier. It was still proceeding to blare. The Doctor glanced at her, eyebrow raised, causing her to look away, ashamed. "I was going to borrow it," she defended herself. "But I did the wrong setting. It was an accident."

"Setting?" He repeated. "You mean with a sonic screwdriver?" Penny's silence incriminated her. "It's the same sonic that Sara had tried to use earlier at the ATM, isn't it? I thought I took it offline…" The Doctor stuck out his other hand. "Can I see it?"

Penny shook her head. "It's Sara's. I'm only borrowing it. You need to ask her." The Doctor grimaced but lowered his hand anyway as they came to a stop in front of the TARDIS. The Time Lord let go of his ward's hand to unlock the door, but just as the key was in the lock, Penny took a step back. He looked at her over his shoulder as he unlocked the sentient ship, eyebrows seemingly asking her what she was doing. "I…" She cleared her throat nervously. "I want to see Sara first, that she's okay. I…I don't know you, Doctor, so-so she might be…I mean…erm…Can I see her first, please?"

"She very volatile right now, Penelope. All the destruction she caused in the medbay…if I let her in the console room." He winced at the idea. "I can't risk that. Just come inside. I promise, I don't intend you any harm." At her lack of response and extremely telling silence, he turned around and gripped her hands, trying to catch her gaze earnestly. "Penelope," He paused before softening his tone. "Penny, look at me. Look at me straight in the eyes and tell me that you think I want to hurt the both of you."

Penny was nervous about his request. She remembered from the show how the Doctor could use eye contact to engage telepathy but the Doctor was insistent and eventually she relented. "Trust me," he said, his voice soothing. "Just this once, for one second, please…Just trust me and see for yourself. Once you see that I'm telling you the truth, you can make your own decisions from there but just this one time, that's all I'm asking of you. Once. For your friend."

The young woman looked him in the eye before finally glancing away. "For…For Sara, but-but if you're lying…I'm going to be, be very cross with you." She hoped she didn't regret this.

"Well in that case," he began drily. "I'll give you the broom myself to hit me with. On purpose." Penny let out a surprised giggle before covering her mouth with one hand. Offering a small smile himself, the Doctor opened the door. "In you go." He said.

She squeezed inside and let out a small noise of wonder, having not given any attention to the inside of the TARDIS the last time she was here and aware. The Doctor closed the door behind the two of them, and Penny was too enthralled by her surroundings as the deadlock reasserted itself. "Well, come on then," the Doctor began, feeling relaxed now that both of his wards were finally inside the TARDIS. "Let's go see where Sara wandered off to, eh?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

'_Now go play.' _

Sara remembered the Doctor's words and swallowed feeling contempt brim to the surface. He hadn't bothered to listen to a word she said. Not once during his exhausting pursuit of them. She was being driven mad by him, which was why she had to resort to such extreme measures when it came to every bluff she mentioned. Every sickening threat she made.

She had promised him they would stop writing. Hell, she would have helped him pull every remaining book off the shelf if only he had been agreeable. But that wasn't good enough. He had taken to hunting them down and imprisoning her again. How long would Penny last eluding him? Sara closed her eyes, leaning against the wall of the corridor.

She wasn't interested in the rooms the TARDIS seemed to be sending her to although one seemed to be an arboretum with the same climate reminiscent of Seattle. It still wasn't her home. It was just another part of this prison she found herself trapped inside.

"Sara." It was the Doctor's voice behind her and she turned in panic, clenching her teeth, ready for a quick retort before she saw who accompanied him.

"Penny." Her face cleared. "Oh God, Penny, I was hoping he wouldn't…"

"Sara!" Penny exclaimed, immediately rushing forward and embracing her. "You're all right. You're…" Her words trailed as she saw the cuts Sara had accidentally inflicted. "Your arms. You-"

"It's fine." Sara assured her. "I'm fine."

The Doctor started to approach. "I could help with those." He started to suggest. "If you-"

"Just get away from me." Sara warned, a livid expression in her eyes. "Where'd you drag her out of this time? A closet? A ventilation shaft? A-"

"Tree." Penny finished. "But I climbed down. He said you.." She paused before continuing. "He said you were going to use the sonic to blow up the vortex. Threatened to kill yourself."

Sara looked at Penny and then at the Doctor before clenching her jaw. "You piece of shit! So full of it! For all your lies and supposed promises…"

Penny looked at the Doctor and then back at Sara. "He…he lied?" She paused. "You didn't?"

"Oh but she did." The Doctor corrected, his voice grim and Sara looked at him filled with fury.

"Do you play poker, Doctor?"

He looked at her with confusion. "Poker. I-"

"I was bluffing. I have no freaking clue what setting it was that would depolarize my energy and I would never do it inside the TARDIS. You sure I'm the crazy one here?"

"Bluffing." He repeated. He hadn't considered it. He didn't want to take the risk after she shot him.

"After dealing with one version of you trying to destroy his universe, you really think I would…" She shrugged. "There's over two thousand settings on that sonic. I was just trying to go home."

Penny closed her eyes with relief. Sara only had done what she did before but now….now they were stuck.

"Why don't the three of us just talk." He attempted. At least he felt partially reassured but that didn't mean the girl was any less a danger to herself. "A nice cuppa and-"

"But you told me 'to go play.'" Sara retorted. "I'm certainly not interested in playing with you. What do you think Penny?"

"I'm-" Penny started. She didn't know the Doctor and everything he told her so far seemed to be based on misinterpretation. She needed to talk to her friend alone and to find out what happened after the Doctor had taken her. "I just want to talk with Sara now, Doctor." She managed.

The Doctor released an aggrieved sigh but since both girls were in the TARDIS at least for now, he could be assured the universe was safe. His friends were now protected from any potential threat. Mentally he reset the existing parameters that were in place when he sent Sara off to calm down. He would chance neither one coming into the proximity of his console room at the moment.

"All right." He conceded. "As I told Sara, go where you like on the TARDIS, do what you like. Any room that you see is one you have access to." He paused. "You two come see me when you're ready to talk."

He walked down the corridor, turning a corner. He still had UNIT to contend with and the sheer mess the girls left in their wake. Still, Martha had been swift in her response when he asked for a favor and he simply couldn't take the TARDIS into the vortex without offering a word of thanks to the division as well as Martha herself.

Sara and Penny were left to themselves in the hallway as the elder of the two leaned against the wall.

"I don't what else to do." Sara whispered.

"You tried everything, Sara." Penny encouraged. "We…this…it isn't your fault. None of it." She paused. "So you never tried to kill yourself?"

Sara frowned, closing her eyes with a distinct look of regret on her face. "I'm so sorry Penny. A few seconds. I wasn't even thinking. The knife was in my hand. He put me under telepathy and then swore to me he would never enter my mind at the same time! I managed to break free by thinking of his name and I couldn't even see straight…my head…" She was shaking. "It was stupid. It was so completely stupid." She took a deep breath. "Please forgive me…I regretted it right after….I" Tears started to pour down her cheeks.

"It's okay." Penny said. "He forgives you. I know He does and so do I…. but don't…"

"Don't what?"

"Promise you won't do it again."

Sara nodded fervently. "I swear. I just wasn't….it was before, I couldn't move, could hardly speak. Heard his voice in my head and…"

"He lied." Penny told her, feeling disgusted. "We both know his number one rule."

"The Doctor always lies." Sara answered, quoting River Song.

"I'm sorry he did that to you." Penny released a shudder. Sara must have been so disoriented, so confused. Maybe that was why she picked up the knife in the first place.

"I was only threatening him with the sonic to get back to you. Even if I knew the setting, I never would-"

"You don't have to tell me. I already know." Penny glanced down the hallway. "He just doesn't." She was thinking hard. "We're stuck now, aren't we and with Donna as his companion…he could become the…"

Dead silence hung in the air. Neither girl had to mention that dreaded name, which the Doctor was yet to encounter.

"God help us." Sara murmured desperately. "Please just help us."

"What's wrong?" The Doctor's voice echoed behind her and Sara jumped immediately turning.

"What are you doing here?" She snapped. "Change your mind about locking us inside a room?"

The image flickered right before her eyes and she frowned. "What are you?" She swallowed. "Doctor?"

Penny was looking at the image with similar confusion.

"I'm the TARDIS visual interface." He replied. "Not the Doctor." It paused. "How can I help you?"

She took a deep breath. Maybe this could be there chance. "Where is the console room." She tried.

"Both your personal access to that room has been restricted by the Doctor."

"Where is he?" Sara demanded, feeling livid. He might as well stick them in one room at this rate.

"The Doctor is not onboard."

Sara's throat was dry as she licked her lips, glancing at Penny. "I-how do we get access?"

"By permission of the Doctor or the TARDIS code word."

_Code word. _Sara thought. _Could it be…?_

His name came to her lips and she spoke in a whisper so Penny couldn't hear as the interface, merely blinked at her then nodded. "Code word recognized. Full access granted. Do you need further assistance?"

Sara's body trembled. She had done it. Things were starting to go right for her and she looked at the interface. "Penny and I want to leave this TARDIS right now and…." She thought for a moment. "I need a sonic screwdriver." The Doctor knew about the one they had already. If she had one that could act as a backup…one that he would never know about…

The item fell to her feet and she immediately snatched it, pocketing it, inside her jeans. Now they had a secondary safety measure. "Okay, get us off, right now." Sara ordered.

"All right. Follow the lights on the right panel. The exit to the TARDIS has been illuminated and unlocked."

It seemed so simple and indeed it was. In minutes, they were out the door finding themselves in the vicinity of the same police station as she glanced around in confusion, while distancing herself from her former prison.

Her blood chilled to hear a familiar voice in the distance.

"Thank you Martha for your assistance in this. If you couldn't tell, I was at my wits end."

"Sara, he's right there." Penny whispered in warning. Indeed he was only several feet away speaking to several UNIT officers as well as conversing on the phone. Still despite the noise, Penny's whisper caught his attention and he suddenly turned, seeing them both.

_Crap. _Sara thought.

"How did you two…?" He started to approach them as Sara took Penny's hand and backpedaled away from him, desperately trying to think as he stared at her with intensity. Tears sprang to her eyes. The space around them seemed to flicker and suddenly another voice seemed to call her name as if from a great distance.

"Sara?" A pause. "Penny?"

It was a girl that stood right beside her, a couple years her senior, as ephemeral as mist with dark brown hair and hazel eyes.

"Who are you?" Sara managed hardly able to take her eyes off the Doctor and the girl looked in his direction.

"I'm…we're…" The girl shook her head. "Connected. Don't think he can see me."

"Sara, enough of this." The Doctor said. "It's not going to work. You know it won't. It's far too dangerous for either of you to be left unsupervised. You-"

"So kidnapping and torturing me is your response?" Sara shrieked. "Throwing me into the very place of my nightmares? Did you not listen to me at all?"

"Sara, just calm down." He said. "We can work this out. There's no need to panic."

"His name." The girl advised. "Bluff." She seemed to cast the Doctor a knowing glare. "Tell him you'll say his name. Out loud."

"His name?" Sara repeated.

"We both know it. Remember the episode. 'The Name of the Doctor'."

Her image started to flicker. "No wait." Penny called out. "Who are you?"

"Laura. I…" The girl's face took on a measure of panic. She seemed to be looking at something Sara couldn't see, shaking her head. "No. I knew it before I came here. I swear to you. I…." The image was gone and a chill swept over Sara as she swallowed before looking at the Doctor. He was staring at her as though she had lost her senses. Maybe she had but now she knew what she had to do. Her only option left.

"Get away from us." She commanded, putting force in her tone.

He released a sigh. "Sara, you know that isn't-"

"Oh, but it is." She beckoned to the UNIT patrols that were around the parking lot. "Have something else better then a gun or sonic, Doctor. Something I actually know how to use."

His face suddenly appeared grim as he stared at her. She was resorting to threats again and he ran a hand through his hair, not knowing what to expect. In the measure of a few hours, she had destroyed a good portion of his sickbay, threatened the universe and then nearly slit her own throat. _How did she get out of the TARDIS? _That alone was impossible but for this girl…

"Sara," He started.

"What about your name?" She looked at him stonily. "Isn't that supposed to be hidden? In the Medusa Cascade, right?"

He looked at her stunned but he knew she had it. He swallowed hard. "How did you get…?"

"Lost and found maybe." She clenched her teeth together. "Told you I was tortured by another version of you. Maybe you believe me now…" She shrugged. "You know, it doesn't matter. You remember, I know it, don't you?"

His demeanor stilled as he looked at her. "Be careful, Sara. This is not a safe place for you to stand."

"Safe?!" She repeated incredulously. "Nothing about you is ever safe and your promises aren't for shit!" She took a deep breath. "You actually swore you wouldn't go into my mind while you were performing telepathy me at the same time? What kind of hypocrite are you?"

He gritted his teeth. "Time Lord hypnosis is not quite the same as entering your thoughts and-"

She threw up her hands. "Oh, please. Splitting hairs aren't we? Try to rationalize it. I don't care but you will let us both walk out of here right now or I'm yelling your name at the top of my lungs!" She glanced at the patrols. "I think UNIT would be very interested, wouldn't you?"

He looked at her horrified. _She wouldn't. _But then he knew a girl in her condition, she would be unpredictable. Erratic and with these crowds, he knew he couldn't take the risk. His name was dangerous for a reason. If UNIT and all the other humans got a hold of it, the universe could be at risk. Other species would certainly find them and force that information to be provided IF, weeell, humans, especially humans could be greedy. They might even sell it to the top bidder.

"Sara, if you do that, you put the entire universe at risk." He paused thinking of what she had told him previously. "You said you stopped another version of me from breaking a fixed point in time, right?" He had to do something. "To save that universe. He locked you up for that, didn't he?" He needed to remain calm, to show her he had heard what she told him.

"You didn't believe me for a second."

"Oh weeell, I never said that. In fact, according to the rule of infinite possibility and the multiverse, it makes sense." He paused. "I know he locked you up and tortured you so if that helps, I definitely believe you now." He looked to see if he was getting through to her. "But just think, Sara. You don't want to do this."

"You're right." Sara breathed harshly. "I didn't want to do any of this. I just wanted a normal life. I didn't want to threaten anyone or shoot you until you started to hunt us down like a dog."

"I'm sorry, I-"

"What? You're so sorry?" Sara challenged. "He said that too. Didn't stop him from strapping me to a bed. But hey, you think that's okay right?" She pressed her lips together. "Oh what did you say?" She paused in reflection. "'If this is how I behaved, you can understand why someone might want to lock me up.'" She folded her arms across her chest. "Your words, right Doctor?"

Penny gasped and looked at him. "You didn't…you wouldn't say that….not after…" She started to feel sick inside.

"Penelope, Sara just tried to kill herself and I…." He took a deep breath. "I lost my temper and-"

"Said it was okay to lock her inside her room?" Penny's face was clouded with mistrust. Why did she ever climb down that tree in the first place? This Doctor seemed just as bad as the Doctor in Sara's previous dimension.

"No, I…" He inhaled through his nose. Maybe he should have been more careful with his words but he was at his wits end and now…well, now they were both looking at him with open hostility.

"As much as I would love to hear the explanation, Penny and I have had enough of your company." Sara told him.

"Sara, that isn't an option you-"

"Hey, you guys, over there!" She called out to a group of UNIT officers who looked up at her startled. "Want to hear something really cool? Something he doesn't tell anyone? I bet none of you know his name! But hey-"

"SARA!" The Doctor exclaimed, truly alarmed now. "Stop!"

"You're the Doctor!" She retorted. "You make it stop! Let us leave right now and it stays between us. Same deal. We won't say another word about you. I'll even call my publisher myself and have every copy of those books pulled from the shelves. How's that for good faith?" She glared at him. "But push me and-" She glanced over at the passing pedestrians. "What's it worth to you? Two girls that know only random bits about you or the privacy of your name?"

He swallowed hard. This was the most spectacular mess he had ever seen. The Doctor had never experienced precognitives such as Sara and Penelope and now he was being forced into a corner. Running his hand through his hair, he considered Sara. She was desperate. Though she said she was bluffing once, he couldn't take the risk in her string of threats that she might decide to act to prove her case.

"Clock is ticking, Doctor." Sara told him, warningly. Neither girl would look him directly in the eye. "You really want to test me?"

"No, I don't." The Doctor said finally, closing his eyes as he backed away. He would come up with another strategy and however the girls managed to leave the TARDIS before he would be sure there would not be a repeat. He nodded his head to UNIT who responded to his unspoken cue as they distanced themselves from the two. "I s'pose you win, Sara." _For now. _He thought grimly.

Sara and Penny had already started down the street as the elder turned to look at him one last time, scowling at him. "Wasn't about winning, Doctor. It was about having a life that was ours. Free will. Choices. Guess you can't appreciate that."

"Sara…"

"Just stay away from us!" She told him as the two quickly summoned a taxi, which disappeared as it turned the corner.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Time Lord felt fury start to brew inside of him as he immediately turned back to the direction of his TARDIS. He never in all his regenerations had as much trouble in obtaining direct custody over a precognitive. He reflected briefly on Ace who was his companion and his ward during his seventh regeneration. Her ability was not nearly as acute as the two girls in question but the difference was, she agreed to accompany him onboard. He didn't have to resort to forcibly invoking custody over her.

He grimaced at the notion. What if she hadn't? Ace had been young as well as reckless in her own regard. To that extent, there was a parallel between Ace and Sara.

Shaking his head, he approached the TARDIS door, turning his key in the lock.

It wouldn't open. He looked at the entrance in shock as he pulled out his sonic to see if he could bypass any deadlocks that might have fallen into place.

There was nothing. No obstruction. He frowned. Did his Axiomator or his Gyrocepters suffer some malfunction in the materialization when he transported from the vortex to here to collect Penelope? His sonic was picking up no sign of damage from the exterior circuitry. Putting his hand on the door, he probed his telepathic link with the time machine only to be stunned by what he found.

The TARDIS recognized Sara Thomas as the one currently in control over her. Apparently, she had supplied a code word to which the time machine immediately permitted her unlimited access. _No code word would give her access like this. Not where my own authority is…._

He started to think hard. How could she have any of the code words to his TARDIS? Did he underestimate her precognition once again or…

Suddenly, he remembered what the girl had just threatened him with. The revelation of his name in public and then he started to wonder. His name technically speaking wasn't a code word in the TARDIS but it was his name. It was hidden, only known to his family and Gallifrey was gone. Yet the TARDIS was built long before the Time War and maybe, just maybe hardcoded in the system, they responded innately to the name of the Time Lord in question, which would override any security settings or code words that were previously in place.

Knowledge lost before Gallifrey. Lost before the Time War. If that was the case…

The Doctor ran both his hands through his hair, gritting his teeth. How was he even going to get back inside?

The answer seemed to resolve itself when suddenly the door opened and Donna stepped out.

"Oi, Spaceman! Where have you been?" She looked at him bewildered. "Been wandering the halls for over an hour. Was trying to find Sara to-"

He managed to barely catch the door just before it swung shut, locking him out again.

"Sara is gone." His voice was abrupt. "So is Penelope." Immediately, he headed back inside the console room.

"But how?" Donna looked askance. "Said she couldn't leave. That the TARDIS wouldn't even let her find the console room and-"

"Ohhh, she got special access to the TARDIS. Overrode the system. She was let right out along with Penelope."

"But how…?" Donna paused. The Doctor seemed angry enough as it was without her pestering for an explanation at the moment. "They're on the run again?" She could feel the Doctor's frustration pouring off him in ways.

"For now." He answered grimly as he approached the console and engaged the TARDIS telepathic induction circuits along with the telemetric core. It was only his relationship with the TARDIS, his bond that could reassert control over his machine but this was delicate work and it would take hours of real time for him to accomplish especially since this was new territory for him. "Best to sit back, Donna. We're not going anywhere for a while."

Clenching his jaw, he immediately began to work, inhaling through his nose to calm his mind. Once he got back control over the TARDIS, he would have to remove that particular failsafe put in place so Sara would never be able to have that sort of access again. Then, when he regained custody of his two missing wards, they would indeed have long talk and this time they would listen to what he had to say.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Another car rental had Sara and Penny driving up north towards a ferry port that would take them to Alaska. Sara knew Alaska had a smaller population and was considerably more rural. The Doctor would likely not expect them to go to such a climate especially during winter where the sun only shone a few hours a day.

They could bear the darkness. The alternative was considerably worse.

"We got away." Penny said in a whisper. She could hardly believe how Sara managed it. "You got us off the TARDIS."

Sara grimaced. "For once, I got lucky." She took a deep breath. "But if he ever gets his hands on us again…" She paused, shivering.

"I'm sorry." Penny fretted. "I should of gone in the bathroom with you. Made sure you were okay like you've done for me."

"Then he would have had both of us and we would have been stuck in the vortex." Sara assured her. "You being at that police station, well, you helped save me."

"I…" Penny paused. She didn't think of it that way. "Really?"

"Really, really." Sara smiled at her friend briefly. "Even if we got the doors unlocked before, in the vortex…" She shook her head. "No where to go."

"Maybe now he'll…" Penny looked at Sara in hope.

"Stop?" Sara asked and shrugged. "I guess. Maybe us knowing his name will keep him away but…"

"But?"

"I have my doubts." Sara whispered. They had been driving all night and she was starting to feel tired but she knew they were nearly at the ferry terminal that would take them to Juneau. Although, not as large as Anchorage, Juneau was Alaska's state capital and it was more likely the two girls could slip into obscurity at that location.

"Sara, maybe we should stop at the grocery store." Penny indicated one that was emerging to their right. "The Doctor might have been right about your arms." Her voice was hesitant.

Sara glanced at them and winced. They were looking a bit inflamed but it was nothing some Bactine and bandages wouldn't cure. She had dealt with so much worse in soccer injuries at home.

"Probably right. I could use some coffee too." Sara agreed as they pulled into the parking lot. While they started to collect the necessary supplies, Sara glanced at Penny, considering her question. "What exactly did he tell you about them?" She was suspicious. What exactly had the Doctor said that made Penny climb down from that tree where he couldn't reach her?

"He said…" Penny licked her lips. "He said the cuts were becoming septic and he might need to amputate if…" She stopped when Sara closed her eyes while rubbing her forehead.

"Penny, it takes a couple days for wounds to become septic and it wouldn't happen in a sterile environment like the infirmary." She sighed. "He was….well, he was…" She didn't wish to offend her friend.

"Lying to me. Tricked me again." Penny shook her head. "You wouldn't have fallen for it but I…"

"Penny, it's not like that. If I didn't meet another version of him, I very well might have." They went to the check out and paid before returning to the car. Carefully, Sara began to apply the Bactine and dress the wounds. _Septic. _She gritted her teeth as she shook her head. _Amputation. Some things never change, do they Doctor? _Oh, she despised him now beyond description. How could he have taken advantage and manipulated her friends fragile state like that after what she endured in the void? It had taken so much effort to get Penny to where she was today and here this alien was tearing it completely to shreds without even a moment's compunction.

Penny's stutter had disappeared but now…oh, now because of her terror from the Doctor hunting them down, she heard a bit of it coming back. Would her episodes increase as well? Her insomnia? If there was one thing she couldn't stand more then her own torment, it was to see Penny's.

Sara grimaced trying to push those thoughts out of her head. If she could get them far enough away. If the Doctor took her threat seriously, maybe, just maybe he would leave them alone. In retrospect, however, the idea wasn't even hers. She glanced at Penny.

"Did you see the girl too?" She asked. Penny did converse with her but Sara wanted to make sure she hadn't lost all grip on sanity.

"Girl…which one?"

"Well…the girl, just before I threatened the Doctor that seemed to appear…" Sara was starting to feel foolish. Had she imagined it?

"Laura?"

'Yes, thank God, it wasn't just me." Sara briefly closed her eyes.

"Me too…I thought I was having, starting to have an episode and…" Penny frowned. "We both saw her?"

"Yes, but the Doctor didn't and she looked sort of see through." Sara was perturbed. "But she seems real. The way she looked at the Doctor…" Sara couldn't explain it. The glare in the girl's eyes was one of a personal nature. A bitterness lingered there.

"She helped us though, didn't she?" Penny marveled. "She told you what to say to get the Doctor to back down."

"Yeah, she did." Sara agreed. They were back on the freeway nearing the ferry terminal.

"But she looked so scared at the end. Someone else was there. Who…?"

"Who do you think?" Sara could only imagine the girl had become just as trapped as she was. A chill ran through her. If the Doctor that had her just found out that this Laura had his name….

_I can't help her in return. _Whatever way they communicated had shut down and she couldn't extend the visitor a similar helping hand. Unless…maybe one day, whatever pulled them together might open again…they might see Laura again and at that time, return the favor.

Xxxxxxxxxx

They arrived in Juneau, Alaska without incident and Sara started to breathe a sigh of relief. Throughout the long ferry ride, there had been no pestering phone calls or the familiar shape of the TARDIS showing up to reclaim them.

Their arrival to the small capitol held the same results and they walked amidst the people under the darkened sky relatively unperturbed.

_Maybe he is going to leave us alone. _Sara thought when over a half a day passed and the Doctor wasn't in sight. _Maybe this time, we can really be free. _If that was the case, she would place a call to her publisher first thing on Monday and order her to put the books immediately on moratorium and tell her to pull every single copy from the store. She would also have every website taken down. Of course, they stories existed in people's memories but those episodes had already occurred. They hadn't even published into the tenth Doctor's regeneration yet. It was with some luck that they hadn't written episodes that took place in the Doctor's future. For that, Sara could only thank divine providence. She only wished she never published any of those stories in the first place, which sent the Doctor so fervently after them

Briefly, Penny and Sara indulged in a salmon tasting event at one of the fishing wharfs before settling into a pub where they ate dinner. Sara indulged in two glasses of wine to take the edge off the stress she had been feeling for the last two days. She glanced at Penny who looked exhausted, ready to collapse on the plate before her.

"Why don't we get a taxi and find a hotel to stay the night?" Sara suggested. They would continue their journey to Skagway tomorrow but tonight, well, tonight they both needed sleep.

xxxxxxxxxx

The cab dropped the two of them off at a rather nice hotel just outside of Juneau. Both felt exhausted and couldn't wait to turn in for the night. They got a room close to the top floor, and for once, Penny had been too tired to take the stairs. Instead, she reluctantly followed Sara into the elevator where she remained tense for the entirety of the ride. Even after all of these years, the red head still hadn't gotten over her intense dislike and general fear of elevators.

"Ever since that movie and that ride, I never liked them," Penny had said in response, referring to the 'Tower of Terror,' which was also a ride in Disney World. "Cable wires could snap, and we would just plummet to our deaths." It was a rather morbid thought that had left Sara distinctly uneasy if the elevator became packed full of exhausted travelers, clearly beyond capacity. Fortunately, today was not one of those days and they had the elevator to themselves.

The moment Sara opened the door to their room for the night, Penny raced inside and took a running leap at one of the beds, belly-flopping on its soft mattress. "Oh, Sara!" She exclaimed happily. "It's so soft! I could just sleep here forever and ever!" Gleefully, she rolled around on the bed with the occasional giggle.

Sara rolled her eyes with a smile as she shut the door behind her. "Well, that's good news. Maybe it'll help with your trouble sleeping."

"No trouble tonight," the red head immediately agreed. "This is like a cloud, only less wet."

"No way it's that soft," the older woman disagreed, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Really! Try it, _try_ it," Penny sing-songed, affecting her voice in a deep tone with a faux hypnotic quality, but only ending up sounding cheesy. "You know you want to, Sara…" The brunette snorted with laughter and laid down on the bed herself.

"Wow," she pronounced after a long minute had passed. "This _is_ that soft. Didn't think that hotels would spend that type of money to get beds like this."

"They don't," Penny informed her mutedly, eyes lidded. "Not usually, especially the pillows…This's so nice, though…So soft…Just want to shower 'n' sleep 'n' never have to wake up…."

"Well, don't go doing that," Sara joked. "We've got a trip ahead of us. Remember? Going to Skagway?"

"Mmm, wasn't serious 'bout it, Sara…"

"Wow, you're drifting off already," she noted. "When was the last time you slept?"

"…Thursday…"

"Today is Saturday, Penny. You should sleep. The shower can wait until tomorrow."

"No," she whined. "I need to take one today, too dirty." With a groan she got off the bed and slouched to the bathroom.

"Be quick, then," Sara called after her. "You can take a longer one tomorrow, and I'd much rather that you slept!" She only got mumbles and incoherent words as a response before the door shut. Shaking her head, she set about unpacking and setting out a clean change of clothes for Penny to slip into just inside the bathroom door.

A little over a quarter of an hour later, Sara was watching the first season of 'Sherlock' on TV while she blow dried her hair. Penny, meanwhile, brushed her recently dried hair on the bed next to Sara's. Abruptly, she dropped her hands in her lap and looked at the older woman. Sara, sensing her friend's gaze, turned off the hair dryer and began to put it away. "Sara, you never said you knew it."

There was no need to explain what the 'it' was.

"Didn't think I would have to," she told the red head grimly. "I was going to carry it to my grave. Never speak of it to anyone, but now, maybe I should tell you, to keep you safe in case he tries to force his way inside your mind." It was one of the worst things Sara could fathom.

Penny looked fearful. "No, I…I don't want to know it, Sara."

"It's the only way to keep him out of your thoughts!" Sara warned. "And believe me, I've tried everything else!"

"Don't want to know," Penny reiterated. "I…I just… I feel like I'm taking something that's not mine. I mean, you found out by accident, didn't even want it. It's different for me…I don't want to know, 'cause it scares me, 'cause the _Doctor_ was scared by someone else knowing his name. Don't want it."

"That's why I was never going to tell anyone," Sara agreed before posing rhetorically, "What's in a name?" She shook her head. "You're right, though. I never wanted it in the first place. Then when he found out I had it…" She closed her eyes. "Painful, it was painful for him." Then she scoffed. "Course, then he didn't even take it back when I begged him to, wanted him to take it away." She winced. "He said I stole it and that he couldn't or wouldn't get it back. What a joke." Breathing hard, Sara turned away for a moment to steady herself.

"So, when you said that you'd tell everyone…"

"It was another bluff. I'm all talk, Penny," Sara told her flatly. "Just needed him to believe it, too risky otherwise. With that many people knowing…the universe, it would be in so much danger. Who knows the odds better than the Doctor?"

"But how did you know that he'd fold?" Penny queried.

"That's the problem," Sara laughed bitterly. "I didn't. Could never be sure. I entirely expected him to call me out on it, especially after he learned that I was bluffing about the sonic. It was the only thing I had, my only card that I wasn't even going to use. Same with all my other threats. Completely and utterly empty. Would never hurt any of his companions,. They're innocent. Made me sick to even say it." She shook her head. "Would never kill Donna, she's too important. I mean, I actually really like her! Can hardly stand what he'll do to her when…" Her voice trailed. "And the Doctor…Well, I might despise the jerk, but…I'd never kill him, the universe, every reality would die too, and he's not worth that." Sara sighed. "That's why I was careful when I shot him. Had a lot of practice. Sure it would hurt but only temporary. My instructor taught me specifically how to do it." She reflected for a moment. "Wasn't exactly the same thing when the other Doctor shot me in the arm. Now that could of…" Sara rolled her eyes.

A heavy silence settled in the hotel room between the two of them, the only sound being emitted from the TV.

"You should go to bed, Penny," Sara said finally. "You'll get another episode if you stay awake. Last few days, I don't want you to start hallucinating again." Sara looked at her friend with concern.

"…'Kay." Penny crawled into her bed while Sara turned off the lights and the TV. As they both lay in bed, the red head looked at her friend, "Sara?"

"Yeah?"

"I think…If anyone had to know the Doctor's name, you'd be one of the few who should, 'cause you know the burden of it, wouldn't misuse it."

There was a long pause. "Thanks…I guess. Although, threatening to use it like that, well bluffing anyway, seems like misuse to me." Sara did feel guilty about it. But then, it wasn't even her idea. It was….the vision she had gave her the idea. The other girl who also knew the name. Laura. Sara pressed her lips together thinking of the expression on that woman's face. Wherever she was from, something had frightened her too. Was she also being tormented or imprisoned by the Doctor in another reality? She shuddered briefly.

"But you didn't mean it."

"Just…go to sleep, Penny."

"…'Kay, g'night."

"Goodnight, Penny."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

After they both took another shower to prepare themselves up for their trip ahead, they packed and took in the view from their window one last time. Large and old trees stretched into the distance, leading up to majestic mountains. Their snowcaps were dimly lit against the light of the barely rising sun, staining them a pink-ish red. On the clear lake that was on the hotel property, a large flock of geese swam, occasionally diving down to fetch their breakfast. Beautiful glaciers could be observed in different formations dotting the coastline.

Unfortunately the windows refused to budge, so the girls were unable to take a whiff crisp, fresh morning air of a rural environment. No matter, they would get plenty of said it once they stepped outside to continue their journey.

After a final check around the room to make sure that all items had been accounted for, the two women stepped out of the room….

…Only to find themselves in the TARDIS hallway. And there, down the hall and leaning against the wall, was the Doctor himself. Without a word, Sara grabbed Penny's hand, and the two of them ran down the hall. They took twists and turns, and even entered a different door, but they found themselves running back in the direction of the Doctor.

Sara determinedly led the two of them into a different direction with far more complex directional changes and even a point where they went down several flights of steps, only to find themselves, once again, running back to the Doctor who hadn't moved from his position against the wall at all.

Looking at his watch, he said dismissively, "Want to go around again?" He posed. "I can wait. Internal physical loop, you see. You both will end up right back here." Casually, he pushed away from the wall and turned to face them, crossing his arms and gave them a look. His expression was that of a parent watching their child throw a melodramatic fit, only minus the flailing of limbs and screaming that accompanied it. "But really, I think we should just cut to the part where we talk, eh? Because, this time, no matter long it takes, we're going to have that conversation and now you two will listen to me."

**Author's Note: **This story has been a great deal of fun to write and I hope you all are enjoying it despite the predicament our characters are in. Let us know what you think. Now you see a little of the connection between Living Fiction and this story. Trust me, the other will coincide in time. You will just have to read that one to see as well. Thank you for your reviews!


	4. A Paper Moon

Sara looked at the Doctor filled with utter loathing. He had managed to trap them again. Somehow, he changed the door to their hotel so they walked directly into the TARDIS and she…

Glaring at him, she folded her arms across her chest. "Let us out right now!" She demanded, thinking quickly. "Think I didn't prepare? Your name is sealed with my publisher and if she doesn't hear from me then-"

He shook his head wearily. "I know you were bluffing, Sara. Just like you are now." He tapped his head. "You've been on the TARDIS all night. Not just a few minutes. I heard everything you and Penelope said since you entered your _hotel room._" He added the distinct emphasis and Sara looked at him with dismay. The Doctor once he painstakingly regaining control of his ship and expunging his name as the fail safe code, mentally reconfigured a room on his TARDIS to imitate the very quarters the girls were planning to reside in for the night. A chameleon circuit adapted the door, which he customized to the outside and once they stepped inside and closed the door, he immediately deadlocked the time machine, sending them directly to the vortex before returning to listen in on his wards.

In this he was better served rather then entering the room outright. He heard Sara tell Penny how every threat she made was a bluff she wouldn't actually act upon. He listened to find out about her accidentally finding his name and that she begged that version of the Doctor to take it back, which to find out, he couldn't. Then he heard how she had been accused of stealing it…he swallowed, remembering how he dealt with the Valeyard in his sixth regeneration. That it required the Master to assist him in stopping him. _Is that who tormented Sara? _Maybe this version she contended with was the Valeyard and she didn't know it. It would explain a great deal. How she had been tortured and why she held him in such complete contempt. If her abuser had the same face as him…

At least…at least, she never had intent to hurt his friends or destroy the universe. She would have never hurt Donna. Oh she was still traumatized and still terrified of him but upon hearing that, he breathed a sigh of relief and he let them sleep for the night seeing how exhausted they were. Still, now there was the matter of trying to help them. He had completed his preliminary scans of Sara but done nothing so far on Penelope and he had been disturbed by the accuracy of her sketches that he found in their apartment along with the figures she took to writing down in an apparent random fashion.

But if he could get them to talk, to tell him their backgrounds then he would start to know what he was dealing with.

Sara looked at him stunned. He…she clenched her hands together, digging her nails into her palms. _All night? It's been all night?_

Suddenly she heard Penny starting to talk in that tone she was oh so familiar with. "Internal physical loop. Perimeters reset by telepathic inductive circuitry. Architectural Configuration Program. Temporal lock or temporal bubble managed by the Protyon Core. Infinite recursion from spatial distribution circuits and….and….and…" Penny started to sway as her nose began to bleed.

"Penny!" Sara cried out, horrified. She knew at once her friend was having an episode and she headed in her friend's direction.

"Dimensional Transcendence using Matter Control Projectors or mod-" Sara instantly took her friend's arms helping her down to the ground and was at her knees beside Penny, embracing her friend before glaring at the Doctor who was quickly approaching. "NO!" She cried out. "Stay back! Get away from her! You…" She was breathing hard as she looked at her friend.

"Penny," She tried. "Penny, it's okay. I'm right here, like all the other times. No one will-"

The Doctor was already scanning her with his sonic, eyebrows furrowing before he crouched down directly next to Penny. "Sara, how long has she been suffering like this?"

"Oh let me see," Sara paused. "Since you barged into the apartment scaring the crap out of her and started hunting us down so-"

"Sara." He repeated. "We both know she's had episodes like this before. I heard you last night."

"Our dimensions were destroyed. She was conscious while trapped in the void for…for…" She closed her eyes remembering her brief passage through the hell space, which only lasted for minutes as she was buffering by an energy shell. Penny on the other hand had nothing.

"A long time." He concluded.

"It's your fault!" She accused. "I took her out of the institution. She was doing better. Barely had episodes at all anymore. Stopped stuttering." She shook her head. "Got her off the crap those psychiatrists put her on and then you came along! So…" She looked at him. "Happy now? Pleased with yourself? You…" He was reaching for Penny. "No! Don't touch her!"

"I can help her Sara." He offered and the girl shook her head, holding Penny tighter.

"Yes, you've done such a great job of it." Sara pressed her lips together. "If I'm lucky, maybe I'll be next. Wouldn't it be easier for you if I had a psychotic break?" She challenged. "Then what? Lock us both inside stasis fields?" She glared at him, her posture defensive. "If you think I'm letting you touch Penny, you're out of your mind!"

She returned to speaking to her friend in desperation, attempting to prompt her out of the stupor she had fallen into. "I'm here Penny." She offered. "I won't let him hurt you." She kept her tone soothing. "Just focus on my voice. Remember? Like we did before."

The Doctor moved nearer to Penny, and Sara pulled her in closer.

"I said leave her alone."

"I can help." The Doctor reached out toward the girl.

"We don't want your help!" Sara shouted. "You've done enough as it is!"

The alien pursed his lips, and ignored Sara's comment. He reached out placing his fingers on the soft tissue behind Penny's ears.

"I said NO!" Sara shoved at the Doctor's wrists, trying to keep him away.

But he didn't budge. "Looks like a complex partial seizure of the unilateral cerebral hemisphere. Probably brought on by an acute mesial temporal sclerosis." He didn't even acknowledge Sara's presence. It was like she was inconsequential. He was too strong for Sara to move him.

"Get your bloody hands off her!"

"Do you want to help her or not?!" The alien was clearly getting frustrated. He hissed as Sara bit him. He clenched his jaw, but didn't remove his fingers from Penny's inert form. "What is it with humans and biting." Sara released her bite, and moved to hit him, bringing a fist down hard on the Doctor's shoulder. He ignored her. Switching fingers, so he could continue pressing in on the soft tissue, he flicked Penny's earlobes simultaneously. He released Penny, reached out for Sara, and gave her a light shove, sending her onto her backside.

"Activate holding cell," the Doctor spoke aloud while simultaneously giving mental instructions to his ship.

"NO!" Sara bounded to her feet, moving toward Penny, but was stopped by a blue force field. "Just like the other Doctor," she accused. "Locking me up."

The Time Lord had replaced his fingers at several key points across Penny's skull. He glanced at Sara. "Go where you want," he told her. "I'm busy."

Just then Sara realized the force field wasn't surrounding her. It was surrounding Penny and the Doctor, preventing Sara from getting to her friend, preventing Sara from stopping the Doctor.

"Don't touch her! Don't touch her!" She pounded on the force field. Sara was sure the Doctor was doing something telepathic. Why else would he be touching her head? "Do you think she wants a murderer in her mind!"

"I'm not a murder..."

"Two point four billion," Sara struck out with the only thing she had left, her words. "Do you think we're so blind we can't see the blood on your hands?! Do you think we don't know what you did in your war?! First you don't stop the Daleks in time." She was thinking about the reality bomb that destroyed hers and Penny's worlds. "Then you murder your entire race! Two point four billion children, innocent Gallifreyan children, dead at your hands."

The Doctor didn't show any reaction.

"You have no right to touch us. NO RIGHT to keep us! You're a selfish monster!"

"Selfish?" There was sarcasm in his voice.

"Selfish," Sara repeated. "If you'd just let Rassilon finish what he'd planned, the Daleks wouldn't have been around to destroy my dimension, my world." Again Sara was thinking of the reality bomb. If Rassilon had destroyed the Doctor's dimension, the Daleks wouldn't have survived long enough to create the device that destroyed everything she loved, everything she knew. "How many dimensions have died because you were too selfish to let this one go?" She pounded on the force field. Sara didn't really mean what she was saying. She was just so angry, so trapped, her words were her only freedom. "Is it any wonder we can't stand the sight of you? Daleks and Time Lords. Who can tell the difference?"

The Doctor swallowed, remembering someone else saying something similar. He released Penny's skull, and tipped her head up. He snapped his fingers in front of her eyes, and Penny passed out.

"What did you do?"

The Doctor stood, lifting Penny into his arms. "I helped her." The force field disappeared, and the Doctor carried Penny back into the hotel room. "She needs to sleep, but should be better when she wakes." He laid the human on her bed, and turned to face Sara. "You and I need to talk."

Sara moved to Penny. "No," she tried to sound strong. "I don't want to look at you. I don't want to see you or hear you or... Go away. Just..." She took Penny's sleeping form into her arms. "Just go away." Her voice cracked.

The Doctor took a step back. Perhaps now wasn't the time. Humans always did better when they were calm. And Sara was anything but calm. Besides, he needed a minute too.

The alien stepped out of the hotel room, immediately leaning up against the hallway. He could hear Sara starting to cry, and the hard exterior he was trying to maintain melted. Sara and Penny were casualties of the time war. Their pain was his fault. If only he'd wiped out the Dalek race when the High Counsel demanded it.

How many other races would have been saved? How many other dimensions? But how could he bring himself to destroy innocent people? The Daleks were good at the time. They were peaceful. Two point four billion. The children were good. The children were peaceful. The number rang in the Doctor's mind. Was Sara right? Was that the number of children on Gallifrey that day? The Doctor's hearts broke. Guilt ripped through him. He'd never counted. In all his years since the war, he'd never counted how many innocent Gallifreyan children he'd killed. The alien's body shook with anguish. He shook with rage, and hurt, and emptiness. No wonder Sara and Penny ran from him. No wonder.

"Spaceman?" Donna stepped into the corridor. "Are you alright?" She'd been heading toward her room, but the TARDIS had redirected her here.

The alien drew in a shuttered breath, trying to compose himself. "I'm always alright." His answer was quick.

Donna tipped her head to the side. "C'mon." She took his hand. "You look like you could use a cuppa tea." She began leading her friend toward the kitchen. "An' don't think you're getting out of talking about this one. I've had years of experience dealing with upset clients. I know when someone needs to unload. C'mon."

The old man let the human lead him away from his two new charges. He knew he'd have to deal with them soon. He knew he'd have to lay down the law, and explain how things were going to be from now on. But it could wait. It could wait until he was strong enough to face them again. Then there would be no stopping him. There couldn't be. The safety of the universe depended on it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I'm not interested." Sara said.

The Doctor had returned hours later telling them now they all needed to talk. Penny had woken up but remained quiet, staring fixedly at the window that provided the illusion of the outside world. She wished it was real. She wanted to desperately to open it and be truly back in Alaska or anywhere on Earth for that matter. Not stuck in the vortex where the Doctor said they were in actuality.

Sara had taken to weep copiously even when Penny awoke and she was stricken to see her friend like this. Sara was always so strong but now….now, had she truly just given up? She glanced at the Doctor. She didn't like him. Not in the slightest bit.

"We're not leaving this room until we all-"

"Oh, that's not familiar at all." Sara glared at him. "What will it be? For another fifty or sixty years?"

"We are going to talk." The Doctor said sternly. "Then you both are free to go where you like."

"Oh really?" Says Sara. "So a little chat and then you'll take us back to Seattle? You'll let us go home?"

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was right. Sara was going to be a handful regardless of whether all her threats were empty or not. What was he going to do with her?

"I can't let either of you leave the protection of the TARDIS." He paused. "Whether you know it or not, you both need guidance, training and support." He took a deep breath. "You need my help." He looked at Penny. "It's impressive that you've helped her the way you have, Sara but…" He tried to determine how to phrase his next statement. "There are changes I've detected." The Doctor wanted to keep it simple. "Some mutations or-"

"I already know." Sara raised her chin. He looked at her startled. Was it her precognitive nature that made her able to discern what was happening to her friend?

"The hospital did multiple x-rays and cat scans. I can read medical charts even if I am only human. Somehow, I muddle through."

"Sara." Penny's voice was quiet. "It's not worth it." She still felt tired. "He's not worth it." She was tired of the noise. Their verbal sparring. Sara looked exhausted too. She didn't know how her friend was still standing. She knew that Sara had likely refused to sleep after the Doctor did….well, she didn't know what the Doctor did. But Sara, her eyes were bloodshot, and lines were starting to form. She looked more haunted then she had ever seen her. Maybe if Sara didn't speak, then this could all fade away…if only for now.

Sara looked at her friend, feeling her body tremble. "You're right, Penny. He's not worth it." She looked at the Doctor. "You never were."

That was the last thing she said before turning her back and heading to the corner, slumping to the ground, burying her head between her knees, her hands wrapped around her ears. She could hear him trying to speak but now….now nothing he said would get inside. She had no leverage. Nothing more to threaten him with and even if she did, he would know she was bluffing. That she wouldn't purposely risk the universe.

The only thing she had left was her silence. She remembered when she was locked inside her room and the Time Lord Victorious tried to interrogate her inside. She submitted to silence before….she cringed. She promised Penny now she wouldn't do that again. But still, if he insisted on locking her up, that didn't mean she had to for one second cope with saying another word to him. With seeing his face…the face of her tormentor.

They both had a normal life and it had been cruelly snatched away…where was that life now…distantly, she started to fade into her mind…remembering the pleasant moments when Penny and herself would shop in Pike's Market, take a Ferry to Victoria, when Sara showed Penny how to properly make loose leaf tea so Penny didn't have to use so much sugar to drown out the taste.

She fell deeper into her mind not even feeling the hands on her arms. She was walking back inside her apartment and Penny was inside with a cup of tea already laid out for her. She had even made treacle tart, one of Sara's favorites. Maybe it was because she knew Sara was having such a rotten day.

"Bad dream?" Penny asked Sara.

"A nightmare." Sara agreed as she sat down at the table, taking a slice of the pastry, relishing it. "But it's over now."

"Yes…" Penny smiled at her. "We can stay here forever Sara. We'll never have to leave."

"Never." Sara glanced at the photos that decorated the window sill. They were moving images of all their favorite memories and she smiled. "But I think….I would love to have a cat in here. Wouldn't you?"

"You mean a kitten?" Penny seemed excited. "That would be perfect."

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Donna entered the room as the Doctor crouched down next to Sara, looking at her seriously before removing his sonic.

"Oh, Spaceman, now what happened?" If it wasn't one thing, it was another.

"Just asleep." Penny supplied. "Hasn't slept much in three days. L-let her rest and-"

"Focal neurologic fugue state." He sighed noticing the sudden monoamine neurotransmitter imbalance coupled with the rise of serotonergic vasoconstriction on his sonic. The severe deviation of cortical activity he was witnessing was a definitive result of her post traumatic stress disorder she had been experiencing but now he swallowed as he looked at Penelope who was huddled on the bed, then back at Sara.

Pushing himself to his feet, he approached Donna, running both his hands through his hair. "Should of listened to you in the first place." He swore as he glanced at Sara. Humans had such great instincts. Why did he just choose to ignore them? "If you talked to them…" His lip quivered. "If I didn't lie…"

"Might not have gone any differently." Donna offered. If she alone had approached Sara and tried to tell her the truth, the girl still very well might have run. Well, maybe, as a woman, she might have sat still longer just to hear her out. Didn't Sara mention to her, albeit brokenly that she actually liked Donna?

But it was retrospect. It would hardly serve them now and it would not get Sara out of the….well, she didn't understand what the Doctor said Sara was in.

"Doctor!" She demanded. "What's wrong with Sara?" She asked. "You going to fix her or are just going to just let her lie there in a foc…a neu.." Donna struggled to remember.

"Focal neurologic fugue state." The Doctor supplied while Penny just leaned on her side against the bed.

"Let her sleep for a while." Penny insisted numbly. "Never hurt anyone."

The Doctor didn't know how to tell Penelope that it wasn't just a simple state of sleep but that Sara regressed into a symptomatic dream fugue that could persist for days without intervention….if not longer. Had he not just seen Penelope succumb to an episode brought on by his own ever so clever internal physical loop he constructed?

He approached Donna and pulled her out into the corridor. "She's in a deep self imposed dream state symptomatic of her post traumatic stress disorder. Heightened stress factors and the last few days likely led to her eventual…" His words trailed as he waved his hand around. His frown deepened.

"Poor thing." Donna muttered. The Doctor had told her that every threat Sara mentioned was a bluff and Donna had to hand it to her. The girl was very convincing. _She must have been so desperate. _"It's not your fault, Spaceman." She told her friend.

"Isn't it?" His voice was dry.

"You didn't make her this way."

"I certainly didn't help." He shook his head. "Hardly made things better. Might have just pushed her over the edge."

"Then." Dona paused. "Tell you what. Make things better now. Help her. Make her feel safe."

"Only way I can do that is to go inside her mind and I gave my word…" He paused.

"Then you'll leave her like that for who knows how long?" Donna raised her eyebrows. "Good thing then you kept your word. I'm sure Penny won't miss her at all."

The Doctor stared at his companion. "What? Penelope?"

"Yes, Penny needs her friend. How long do you think she'll last without Sara there to support her?" Her voice softened. "You said it was Sara that watched over Penny these last two years."

The Doctor swallowed. His companion was right. Besides, he couldn't let Sara linger there indefinitely. He just wished he had gone about this differently. Maybe if he had talked to them. Slowly eased them into the life on the TARDIS instead of a full immersive shock, he might not be in the position. If he made different choices rather then chasing them across the country…

"You're not him." Donna told him. "Not the nutcase who did this to Sara." She put her hand on his arm. "You only did what you thought was right. You thought she was serious about killing your friends and destroying the universe."

He took a deep breath. "She did have a bit of a good poker face." He reflected and he sighed. "I'll do what I have to do but I think we should move them." The Doctor was already sending mental commands to part of his ship, changing the architectural configuration parameters, to create an extensive temporal bubble. He went back inside to where Penelope was lying listless on the bed still staring outside the window. She never saw him approach so she hardly reacted when he laid two fingers on her temple rendering her unconscious.

"A place where they will both feel safe." He nodded as he headed back to Sara, lifting her in his arms. This time, she provided no resistance. She was listless as he put her on the bed. He grimaced as he sat down on the mattress besides her. When this was over, he could immediately transition both his wards to the new location he designed for them. For now….weeeell, for now, he had the task ahead to accomplish. He placed two fingers on each of her temples and closed his eyes.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

There was a knock on the door and Sara glanced up from the table where she and Penny were sitting. Sara frowned.

"You expecting someone?"

"No, never on Thursdays. Those days are bad enough as it is." Penny told her. Sara chuckled. "You're right. Maybe it's just a neighbor." It was the only explanation that made sense at this stage.

She walked to the door, opening it before letting out a gasp. "No." She said, shaking her head. "You're just a bad dream. You.."

"Sara," The Doctor tried. "Listen. Just listen to me." He raised his hands up in a placating gesture. "It's all right. I'm not going to hurt you."

"But you have!" Sara insisted. "The Time Lord Victorious!" She told him. "You already did."

"The Time Lord Victorious." The Doctor repeated. Again, there was that name he never heard of before. Was this her name for the Valeyard? Was he someone else? He looked at the woman in front of him. "Why don't you tell me about him?" He asked, while he looked at the apartment she created as a haven for herself. The hallways outside were crumbling. She was barely holding the illusion together. "Show me who he was?" He shook his head. "I'm sorry. I really…I just don't understand. I…"

The walls around the apartment started to give way and the Doctor blinked finding themselves in a reception area of a hotel he couldn't place. Then he saw Sara directly in front of him with…..his very lookalike.

"The Doctor is a character from a TV show!" Sara shrieked at his double. "I'm not having this conversation with you. Whoever you are, just leave me alone!" She had turned to walk back to the hotel front desk, considering the man that she had dealt with a lunatic when suddenly, he seized her shoulder, yanking her backward.

"That is not an option." This Doctor told her and then proceeded to drag her out of the hotel without a word in edgewise. Sara started to scream.

"What do you think you're doing?" She protested. "Let go of me!"

She was begging passing pedestrians for help but the Doctor saw it. It wad distinctly recognizable. The use of the perception filter in which he was keeping himself and Sara hidden from view. _So this is what happened when her dimension was first obliterated. _He swallowed. _Dragged her out the hotel she thought she was staying at. _He looked at Sara. She must have thought the whole world had gone mad but then he paused to consider what the girl had said. _What is this about a tele show?_

In panic, she had managed to trick him and had gotten away, running directly into Hyde Park and he could tell the girl was trying everything she could to prompt herself awake from the dream although nothing seemed to be working. His hearts started to break as she decided to head towards a bridge to climb over a pedestrian railing. He could hear her thoughts as she perceived a swift fall would jolt her out of the nightmare rather then….simply cause her own demise.

_And maybe take with her the lives of others in that universe._

The other Doctor saved her at the last moment before blurting out the information of what happened to every single person she ever loved.

The Doctor winced, feeling her agony right before the other Doctor forced her to sleep.

Time sped forward as he witnessed her panic, every time she tried to run. How the other Doctor threatened her with locking her inside the TARDIS saying she only had one last chance. How eventually she met a friend a few years older then herself who offered to come along. The mind parasite attack where the Doctor held her down as he tried to evict the deadly creatures only to find in shock that the girl had his name.

He was furious. He didn't even ask for an explanation.

Then there was their arrival to a place that obviously caused Sara a significant amount of terror. The surrounds of the planet however were distinctly blurry to the Doctor.

"But this is,…" Christina's voice cut out. "Seen it in pictures plenty of times and-"

"You lied to me," Sara glared at the other Doctor. She was backing away and he was glaring at her.

"Nope, name given by other species ages ago." The intent was still clear on his face.

"A lie by omission is still a lie!" She shrieked, backing away. "You planned this!" She had yanked off her oxygen helmet and thrown it back into the console room.

It didn't do her any good. He pursued her inside, telling her it was time to grow up as she screamed at him about fixed points. But he rendered her unconscious in seconds, carrying her outside.

The Doctor looked at this man in shock. _This is me. This is…who I could become. _He was starting to feel sick. This wasn't the Valeyard but…suddenly he wished Donna was here. She always seemed to know what to say. Had the right words of advice.

Time shuffled forward and he was suddenly in a sickbay with Sara and Christina Sara explained to her friend what a fixed point was. He was impressed. For a human, her understanding of time was extraordinary. When the group emerged and left the base to return to the TARDIS, his heart broke as an explosion occurred. A piece of metal lodged, severing Christina's artery. The girl was bleeding out. Her death was a certainty.

She was inconsolable, desperately trying to save her friend as she yelled at the other Doctor in her grief.

"Sara, I'm sorry but she was your responsibility." His voice was cold. "She knew the risks involved."

Her thoughts were clear as she sank to the ground with tears in her eyes. She thought the death of her friend was her fault. Hadn't he just told her that?

Then he was hauling her to her feet as she screamed at him. "You're not the last Time Lord. You're not alone. I swear! Don't…don't break the laws of time."

The word said in response to her chilled the Doctor to the very bone. "I am the last. All this time, I thought I was the survivor. But I'm not, Sara. I'm the winner. The laws of time are mine and they will obey me." She was being dragged the rest of the way towards the base. The images of the crew blurred in front of him. The woman that Sara actively spoke to that argued with this other Doctor was completely undefined.

He was breathing hard as time spliced its way forward to find Sara, the mysterious woman and the other Doctor in a future London.

"I'm the winner." The other Doctor pronounced in triumph. "I'm the Time Lord Victorious."

Sara was wavering on her feet, looking aghast as the woman glared at him.

"This is wrong, Doctor. I don't care who you are. The Time Lord Victorious is wrong."

The Doctor was struck silent. He wasn't the Valeyard. He was the Doctor all along. This was Sara's nightmare and he closed his eyes, leaning back against the TARDIS only for them to suddenly fly open when a voice gave an exclamation.

"Sara, what are you doing?"

The girl suddenly had a gun in her hand he faintly recognized from the base and it was pointed at the woman that was supposed to die. Her arm was shaking and the Doctor's eyes widened.

_She's just a child. It should have never been in her responsibility. _He looked up at his duplicate. _Should have been his._

"Do it!" The woman encouraged. Despair in her voice. "Help me. I need to die. You know I do."

Even that human knew the laws of time better then that Doctor did. What had gone so terribly wrong?

"Just stop." The other Doctor said. "Just think, it doesn't have to be like this."

Briefly the Doctor thought of the girl in the basement that threatened them. He remembered Sara telling him brokenly that her presence would make him worse. Would send him on the same path. _Was that why she threatened me in the first place? So none of this would…_He was looking at Sara with new light. _She was trying to save the universe…_He had a sudden respect for her. Despite her trauma, her own terror, she had attempted to save the universe from a Time Lord. No wonder she ran. She didn't want to risk the same thing happening twice.

Sara was already lowering her weapon. It was now all too clear she wasn't a killer. "I can't," she muttered to her. "Forgive me." Her voice broke. "I'm so sorry, I just can't."

"There is nothing to forgive." The woman told her. She rushed her, seizing the gun in the girl's hands. There was a blast and the woman collapsed on the ground.

"No!" The other Doctor exclaimed, falling on his knees beside the woman but glaring at Sara. "What have you done."

"The Time Lord Victorious is wrong." She looked at Sara with gratitude. "We stopped you."

"No one can stop me! Least of all, one stupid ape!" When he realized he was unable to save the woman in front of him, he released an unearthly cry and Sara started to run in panic.

The Doctor was with her as she went into Hyde Park, swam through freezing cold temperatures in the lake and hid amongst the trees just before the other Doctor found her, tackling her to the ground, accusing her of being a murderer, thereby forcing himself into her mind.

He was there when Sara was dragged into her room where she was told it would be her home for the next sixty years and as she slowly went insane, refusing to eat and drink, wiling herself to die before that Doctor found her binding her to a bed under a stasis field while she pleaded for another chance. The other Doctor turned and coldly left her there for two days as she struggled beneath the field, unable to move grasping onto whatever remnants she had of her own sanity.

_And I told her if she behaved this way, she deserved to be locked up. _The Doctor's lip quivered as he swallowed hard, closing his eyes. He didn't want to see anymore. He just couldn't.

_Enough. _He had seen more then enough. He moved towards Sara who was confined on the bed. She looked up at him, breathing hard.

"Please don't leave me here. One more chance." She begged him. She obviously didn't know he wasn't the same Doctor from before and why would she. _Identical. We look absolutely the same. _He paused, remembering that it was common knowledge that Time Lords thought themselves to be transdimensional beings. That regardless of the number of universes, no duplicates of themselves should ever exist.

Privately, the Doctor thought there was an inherent flaw in this notion and now, from what he had just seen in Sara's mind, she had proved his theory about multiple dimensions and various versions of him correct. _If only the other Time Lords were still alive so I could tell them. _The Doctor thought as he looked down at Sara with compassion._ She must have been terrified. _

"I didn't mean to run. I was just so scared. I…" Sara's eyes filled with tears that started to trickle down her cheeks.

"I know." His tone was filled with empathy as he took her hand. "It's all right, Sara. None of this is real."

"I can't move…please…"

"Remember your apartment?" He prompted. "Remember Seattle? Try to imagine yourself back there." He took a deep breath. "The only one keeping you here is you." He looked at her calmly. "But you can leave anytime you want."

"I…" Sara was shaking.

"Just close your eyes." He told her. "Remember what your kitchen looks like. Take us both back there. Free yourself from this. Can you do that?"

Silently she struggled to obey and suddenly the grim world she was in fell away. They were back in her apartment. Penny was still at the table, sipping tea as Sara looked at her surroundings with a sense of awe before approaching the very image of her friend.

"Penny?" She asked. "You're all right."

"Of course I'm all right." Penny smiled. "You helped me remember? The two of us can stay here forever now. Just like always. You'll remain here with me right?"

_No. _The Doctor thought. _I need her to end this._

"She's not real, Sara." He advised her softly.

"But…" Sara looked at her friend. "That's Penny…she's…"

"You're dreaming." His tone was quiet. "But Penelope is close by. She needs you to wake up. She wants her friend back." He took a deep breath. "Please, Sara." He offered her his hand. "Come back with me. We'll take it as slowly as you need. I won't hurt you, I promise. Just let me help you find your friend."

"Penny." Sara whispered. Tears came to her eyes. "I just….we just want to go home."

"I know." The Doctor said, his tone was soothing. "So let me take you back there. I'll take you to your apartment. I promise." In every respect, what he designed would look exactly like the home they shared in Seattle. It would help them adjust to his presence regardless of how long that might take. "What do you say?" His hand was still extended. Slowly, warily, Sara put her hand in his. She looked into his eyes, hoping that just this once, he might be telling the truth.

He nodded reassuringly at her before he gradually led her out the door.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Penny was the first to awaken; feeling more relaxed than she had been in a long while. She relished the sensation, stretching on her bed languorously before looking to her left to see the clock on her bedside table read: _Thursday 9:54 pm_. She frowned. It was a Thursday. Thursdays were usually terrible days, but it appeared that she had slept through most of it, which was strange because she-

Penny gasped in memory and sat up rim-rod straight in bed. She hadn't slept through the day! At least, she didn't think so… No, what she remembered were long days and nights, running from the Doctor only to end up trapped on the TARDIS anyway…but she was home now. Could it have all been a dream? Penny doubted it.

While at times her dreams could be quite unsettling, sometimes even frightening, never had they gone to such an extent of a three day misadventure that actually felt like that period of time had passed. The sensation had been so real, alarmingly so, in that encounter with the Doctor and Donna. There was no way that Penny would be able to fall back asleep at this point as she was now tremendously unsettled.

She slipped out of bed and quietly padded down the hall to peek inside Sara's room where her friend was blissfully asleep. Reassured by this, Penny carefully closed the door and tip-toed down the stairs, skipping past the creaky third step. No point in waking the older woman up with something that was either no longer an issue or had never been an issue in the first place.

Quietly, she set about making jam covered toast for her late night snack. Pouring out a large glass of skim milk, Penny's thoughts wandered to both her and her friend's presence here, back in their own home. If they were really home at all.

How did that saying go? _Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…_

"Shame on me," Penny murmured aloud, turning her gaze to the window. It was raining softly outside, clouds covering all traces of the moon. Making a decision, the girl carefully crept over to the front door, where she stood there for several long minutes, hovering uncertainly. She unconsciously clenched and unclenched her hands in hesitation as she attempted to gather her courage.

Eventually, she reached out and slowly opened the door. Instead of the TARDIS hallway like she had dreaded, the door opened up to the apartment hallway. She ran downstairs, throwing open the front door to their building, venturing outside. Some of the wet started spreading into the building in the form of some wayward drops that splattered on the floor and her feet. Penny let out a breathy laugh, feeling relief overwhelm her. They were home, they were actually home.

Alleviating her own private dread, Penny closed the door and went back into the kitchen to retrieve her toast and milk. She moved to the dining room to eat her snack when she spotted them on the table, the two high-tech laptops and trunk. Perplexed, the red head considered the spectacle in front of her. Setting down the toast and milk, she took the sticky note that was attached to the trunk.

_Sorry._

There wasn't a signature, but Penny knew who it was from. It didn't need to be signed. Warily, she eyed the trunk before painstakingly moving it from the tabletop and setting it gingerly on the floor. It opened to reveal Sara's manuscripts and Penny's sketched illustrations. There were other pages in there too, scratch paper that Penny used to mindlessly doodle down random phrases or numbers that were of no significance.

Feeling gratified at their return as well as the replacements for the computers that the Doctor had melted earlier, which Sara told her about, Penny immediately began to return everything to its rightful place, snack long forgotten. By the time she finished, her toast was cold but Penny ate it regardless, not one to waste food.

Now that everything was in order and that it really did appear that the Doctor was leaving them alone, Penny was content to relax and wait for Sara to rise so as to ask how, exactly, she had managed to convince the Time Lord to send them home. The house was quiet now, the rain having picked up in tempo some time ago, joining in with the ticking of the clock on the shelf, the settling of the house, and strokes of a paintbrush as Penny started a new picture on a small canvas. This time featuring two women, not much older than either Sara or Penny, as they ran in the pouring rain to a gas station…

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"I thought it was a dream, a nightmare," Sara confessed. "I was there with you, talking about getting a kitten, when he knocked at the door. Thought he was the Time Lord Victorious, but he didn't know who that was…asked me to show him and then I was reliving it all." She shuddered. "It ended with me being back under the stasis field, when the Doctor, not the Time Lord Victorious, came in. He talked to me, told me it wasn't real, helped me remember the kitchen where you were waiting…but it wasn't you, just an image in my mind. Said he'd finally take me home. Maybe he could be telling the truth just this once."

Sara gazed reflectively out into the small garden they had, a cool breeze drifting in through the open window, letting in ambient noises. For a moment, the sounds seemed vaguely repetitive and Sara frowned, but then the feeling passed. _Just being paranoid, we're home now, everything is fine_.

She turned her attention back to the new additions in the house. "Doesn't make up for what he put us through, but at least he had the decency to repair all the damage he did to our place and was considerate enough to replace the computers he destroyed with better models." Sara did take a few moments to admire the laptops features but she knew she wouldn't be using it for any further creative writing purposes. She shuddered. She still had to deal with her publisher and put an end to those books once and for all.

"It's a start," Penny offered.

"A start of not seeing him again," Sara muttered in response, shaking her head. "If I never see that Time Lord again, it would be too soon."

"Play a song, Sara," Penny requested, attempting to get her friend's mind off of her darkened mood. "It's been so long."

The brunette looked at her in amusement. "It's only been about a week."

"Please? I really liked that one song you played, the theme one that sounds like a train."

"The Downton Abbey theme?" She clarified, getting up off the couch and padding over to the piano.

"Yes, please," the red head said earnestly, gleefully joining Sara on the piano bench to watch her play. Flexing her fingers and taking the proffered sheet music from the younger girl, Sara got comfortable and settled herself, focusing on the notes required.

Soon, the emotional melody was echoing through the house, the tune sounding almost urgent with the already fast movements played even quicker. It retained the same beauty that Penny remembered with, perhaps, a bit of a sadder and darker edge. The red head made sure to place the next sheet of music on the built-in stand when Sara nodded, keeping the flow of the music seamless and not halting in its duration.

A sense of quiet peace descended between the two of them as the melody slowed, sounding almost hopeful. The notes were soft and smooth, gradually reaching higher and higher, as if aspiring to some hard-to-reach goal. The determination and hidden declaration of tune subtly became evident, weaving itself in a beleaguered and persistent manner, muted though it was, by the main mood of baited expectation and assurance.

Eventually, all too soon, the song came to an end, sounding almost hesitant, as if the goal hadn't quite been reached but something else had been found instead. The last note left it unclear whether something better had been found or something less had been settled for. Sara's hands hovered over the keys, looking for the entire world as if time had been paused and that they weren't quite finished yet with the notes, tremoring slightly. Penny's mystified, gazed from Sara's hands to her face. She didn't need to ask if the older woman would play another song, as she had already begun the next one. This one learnt by heart and much closer to home, complimenting the previous piece rather intimately.

This had a more dreamlike quality about it, far slower and more haunting rhythm than the previous piece. Sara hummed the tune under her breath, adding to the chilling measure of the melody. Taking a breath, she glanced at Penny, her eyes distant before starting to sing, _"__Are you, are you, coming to the tree? Where they strung up a man they say murdered three? Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it seem, if we met up at midnight in the hanging tree…"_

The song continued, the tune now an echo of what had been just sung, sounding almost mournful. _"Are you, are you coming to the tree?"_ Sara sang once again, going for the next verse, only this time with Penny hesitantly joined in for the final line of each measure, which she had identified as the chorus, repeating Sara as an echo.

Even when the last line had been sung, the tune continued to play on for a while longer. The higher notes that Sara had been using to harmonize with the main tune, soon just played by themselves. It sounded eerily like another person or possibly that of a bird was simply repeating the chorus.

"_Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it seem, if we met up at midnight in the hanging tree_."

"The Hanging Tree." Penny repeated, looking at Sara. "From the third book of the Mockingjay." She paused. "But that movie didn't come out before…." Penny didn't need to finish. Their world had been obliterated only after the second movie had been released.

"Oh..'The Hunger Games'." Sara frowned. "Never got into reading them." She wasn't much of a fan of a genre which celebrated children killing other children.

Penny looked at her stunned. "Then how did you know the words…?" She glanced down at the piano as Sara was still playing the melody of the song. "The music…where is that coming from?"

Sara momentarily froze, her hands shifted above the keys as she looked at Penny wide eyed. "I don't…..know. Someone….it's, a favorite. I just know it. That's all." The lines in her forehead creased but she was struck by an urge to continue playing, this time transitioning, smoothly away from the 'Hanging Tree' to a lighter melody. They stayed that way for a long time, reveling in each other's company and immersing themselves into the pieces played with Sara occasionally singing or humming along.

"_Lay down your head and rest your mind;_

_Tonight, the dark will be kind,"_

**Author's Note: **It's a rather short chapter at 19 pages but still, wanted to release an update here. Thank you to LovelyAmberLight for her contribution. We both appreciate it.

For the songs mentioned here, for 'Hanging Tree', to clear up confusion, this is not the official melody that is associated with the movie, the Mockingjay. The girls Universe were both destroyed before that song was conceived. Sara never read the books so she wasn't familiar with the song however, that is the mystical connection with Living Fiction with these songs and paintings.

The song she plays is my personal favorite arrangement composed by a YouTube artist and is available on Itunes now if any of you like it. Therefore, since it is a favorite of mine and Laura is me, well, it is her favorite but the link to hear the melody which Sara is playing in the story is here. Type in the link for YouTube right before it. It cuts off for some reason when I try to copy and paste.

So it would be wwwDOTyoutubeDOTcom/watch?v=uKrCE1aYz7o (replace the word DOTS with actual periods) Sorry to make you go through the hassle.

I think it's better then the one in the movie but that is my opinion. The second song is a poem composed by Fan Fictional Authoress's best friend into a song. Unfortunately, I don't have a link to that melody. But it is attached to Honor. Thank you for all the reviews! Glad you guys are enjoying the story and I promise you, the first episode they'll be involved in is shortly forthcoming!


	5. Ghost Town

Penny curled up on the couch, underneath the large comforter completely hidden from view as she tentatively peeked out between the fabric. Sara occasionally sent her an amused glance, but the majority of her attention was focused on 'The Hounds of Baskerville' episode of BBC's 'Sherlock.' It was at one of the most suspenseful parts where John Watson was trapped in the lab hearing the sounds of a monstrous hound just inside the room with him. He had just locked himself inside a cage for protection and was holding a tense conversation with Sherlock via his mobile.

A shadow drifted in front of the curtain of John's cage and the red head let out a small whimper. Reassuringly, Sara patted her on the back, having watched this episode multiple times before. "_He's here…It's here…_" John told Sherlock on the phone, forgetting even to whisper. When the cage clanked loudly and was being opened, Penny let out a shriek and buried her face into her knees under the blanket, unable to bear watching the result.

When Sherlock asked, "_Are you alright?_" Sara started cackling quietly to herself, already knowing the experiment Sherlock had utilized on his friend to inevitably prove his point and solve the case. Puzzled that there wasn't any screaming or gory noises, Penny re-emerged from the comforter, watching as John proceeded to panic and Sherlock remain as unruffled as ever before informing him, "_You have been drugged, we have _all_ been drugged_…"

A pillow was thrown at the TV screen but landed short. "That was terrible!" Penny exclaimed. "Mean! Just mean!" Unable to contain it anymore, Sara burst out into full on laughter as her younger friend's tirade continued, "How could he do that? What a jerk! I'm being serious! That was scary! Terrible, just terrible…" With a huff, she slouched down further into her seat. "I don't like him." She decided and then stared at the image of the consulting detective on the screen. She shook her head. "Gives me a bad feeling…"

"Oh Penny, it's just a TV show, " Sara told her, with a sigh. "'Promise you. Sherlock isn't real here at all." Sara chuckled. "Want me to pull up the actor on IMDB to make you feel better?"

There was a sulking pause. "No…"Penny paused. Maybe she had been overreacting. After all they had been through with the Doctor, she was feeling a bit on edge. Still, she decided to stand her ground. "I still think he was being mean, doing that to John. John should smack him." Penny paused. "I mean, in the show….Sherlock deserves it, you know?"

"Oh…He does," Sara admitted absently, continuing to watch the show. "…Eventually." She smiled. "Just wait. I'll show you."

They continued to finish the episode in silence until Penny stood up, suddenly hungry. "I think I'm going to order some pizza. Interested?"

"Doesn't really matter, as long as my half doesn't have any of that weird toppings you put on yours…"

"But you haven't even _tried_ it!" Penny exclaimed plaintively. "You don't even know if you like the taste of it or not…"

"Don't have to. Don't like pineapple and don't care for mushrooms. Artichokes and chicken are okay, I guess, but still, _pineapple_ on _pizza_…"

The red head pouted. "You don't know what you're missing…"

"I have a good idea," Sara looked up at the younger girl, a slight grin on her face. "Go order, just nothing weird on my half and whatever you want on yours."

"…'Kay," Penny slumped off to the hallway and headed to one of the laptops deciding to place an internet order to ensure greater accuracy. Obviously, she wasn't going to win Sara over this time with her unique topping choice either.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Sometime later, the doorbell buzzed, and Penny jumped up off the couch, running over to the intercom. Pressing the talk button, she asked, "Who is it?"

Then she pressed 'listen' to get the garbled response, "_Pizza_."

"Pizza's here!" She called down to Sara before pressing the button that unlatched the door for the delivery person to get in. Going over to the money jar where they kept loose change and dollars, she brought out what was owed and the appropriate tip. Counting out the amount once more to be sure, she came to stand by the door, ready for the knock that would be issued at any moment. She could hear Sara pause the Netflix queue and go into the kitchen to get out the plates and glasses.

A steady tap on the door caused Penny to be aware that the pizza was here, and she unlocked the exit. To her immense surprise, Donna was on the other side of the door, holding a pizza box that was plainly scrawled on the front '_Stuart_.' Obviously, she had intercepted the delivery person before they could enter the apartment building. "Oh," Penny breathed. "…Hi…"

"Hey," Donna returned.

An awkward silence ensued for a moment, neither woman knowing what to do or say in this situation. Sara was the one who broke it, wondering what was taking so long with the exchange. She came around the corner and was quick to spot the Doctor's companion. Immediately, she was on the defensive. "What are you doing here? I thought he was finally going to leave us alone?"

"He _is_," Donna reassured her. "I just…I wanted to talk with you two, have a visit between the three of us without him. He's on the TARDIS, probably tinkerin' on the console."

Sara hesitated. "I…not right now, Donna. It's barely been a day for us. We were just starting to get settled back in, to relax. I'm talking to the editor tomorrow, having the books pulled off the shelves, production stopped, and all traces destroyed. You have my word on that. All the sites were taken down already today. So, really, you have no reason to worry, to be here. It'll be done, I-"

"No!" Donna burst out, only to forcibly pause and take a deep breath. Releasing it slowly, she continued, "No, I'm not…I'm not here about that, to coerce you or anything. It's nice that you're goin' that extra mile, but it's not what I want to talk about."

"Oh, alright then," Sara gave a nod. "Thanks, but tonight…? I guess if you really have to tell us…Is it life or death serious?"

"No," Donna said, immediately shaking her head. "No, just…wanted to talk, wanted to get this cleared up some. Maybe later then, yeah?"

"Yeah," Sara agreed before glancing at her friend. "Is that all right with you, Penny?"

"As long as it's not on a Thursday," Penny warned before turning to Donna. "Thank you for bringing up our pizza, you didn't have to do that."

"Oh," Donna said giving a half smile. "Kind of had to, but it wasn't a problem."

"Well, we'll pay you back for it." At Donna's protests, Sara insisted. "I mean it, probably was a hassle getting all the correct change out for him with American currency, so here. Just take it." Sara took the pizza box and Penny carefully gave the other red head the money.

Donna reluctantly stuck the cash in her pocket and the three of them regarded each once more. "Another time then?" Donna asked in confirmation.

"Another time," Sara agreed. "Come at tea, Penny always makes something good around that time."

"And you can just ring the buzzer," Penny hurried to add. "We'll let you up."

"As long as you're alone," Sara finished. "Don't want anything to do with him anymore." Donna nodded and the three of them said their goodbyes before the door was closed once more. "You can go wash up now, Penny," the older woman murmured. "I'll dish this up." The red head nodded and left Sara alone in the hall, who let out a sigh and locked the deadbolt.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The only sound that could be heard in the room at the moment was that of the paintbrush running against the canvas. A picture, which at first, only consisted of pencil marks giving a faint outline of scene, now began to have color, added to it. The scene had yet to have any details added besides the shapes in vague hues, but the image was obviously a tense one, with grey and red lighting, a dreary and faintly disquieting tone seemed to be set. However, without any details, it was hard to predict what direction the scene would take in terms of mood and setting.

A lot of Penny's paintings had taken a darker turn, but usually featured the same characters in some manor, shape, or form. The girl with short red hair and solid frame, the girl with long brown hair and slighter frame, and then a man who could only be the tenth Doctor himself. Sometimes Penny drew pictures where only one or two of the characters were featured which often included complete strangers. Once in a while a woman with long black hair and eyes like flashing silver would appear, usually in scenes that could only be from an alien planet or of Gallifrey itself.

Sara once found both herself and Penny encapsulated in a painting, and took great care to hide it. There were three other images that had occurred after that particular piece that she had taken careful measures to hide, one featuring the Time War in its entirety, the other featuring scenes from the void itself, and the last encapsulating what had to be the Valeyard to whom Sara recognized. These, Sara had considered burning, feeling sickened at the sight. But something had prevented her from doing so, which she interpreted as intuition. Instead, she kept them under the loose floorboard that resided under her bed, as a reminder of what to watch out and be on alert for.

Never had she relied on her instinct more since the night she overheard the news announce that British Prime Minister had been shot and that the President had been assassinated after raving about aliens for the entirety of the day. She hadn't given it much regard, since it brought back flashbacks to her own experiences and immediately shut off the radio before she could hear the name of the Prime Minister. Now she knew who he had been and surely what she had forgotten during 'the year that never was'. Indeed it was a reminder to always live in constant vigilance and not dwell in ignorance. The board had been hard to remove at the time, but she had managed it with a crow bar. But now, early in the morning when she woke up and needed to find the strength to call her agent, Sara had went so far as to try to look at them, just once, to find that resolve, only to instead find the board stuck firmly in place. The hiding spot was gone, and along with it the paintings, as the loose floorboard which she hid it under was now stuck and wouldn't give at all, even with the urging of the crowbar.

At first, Sara was utterly unnerved by this before deciding that it was probably for that best. The brunette tried not to be bothered, having found that it was better that she didn't ever gaze upon them again…for the painting, the first one, had been something that Penny had created one night, not long after the two of them had moved in their apartment. It was a scene that most certainly hadn't occurred yet and Sara prayed never would. It was gruesome, it was terrible, and one Sara hoped to never have to look at again. Now that the floor board was so firmly stuck in place, it removed any easy access to it.

All the blood, Sara's desperation and reaching out with hands glowing a diffuse gold, the man who held her back whose face was in shadow but with cold blue eyes clearly displayed, and Penny…She simply laid there on the operating table, torn open and covered in blood that was entirely the wrong color and looking, for all intents and purposes, dead. The setting appeared to be in a laboratory, which was a precursor to Sara's terrible phobia of them being found out, captured, and experimented upon.

This fear had only gotten worse after she found out that UNIT and Torchwood did, in fact, exist along with the Doctor himself. Penny didn't remember the painting; something that caused Sara to thank her lucky stars and God continuously, as she had fallen asleep not long after it was finished. Penny at times would wake up in the middle of the night for no reason whatsoever and feverishly work on a painting, refusing to stop until it was finished and then fall to sleep the moment it was completed. Usually, the results were disconcerting or completely and utterly alien in appearance, but never an image that seemed to be derived from that of a horror movie.

Thus why Sara had taken such great pains to hide it and why she never told Penny about it, replacing the terrible scene with another, half-finished one. The younger girl never suspected a thing.

It was for the best, Sara knew. Penny tended to become overwhelmed from some of the painting she drew that Sara permitted her to view or couldn't cope with the images she'd drawn after she directly snapped out of her trance. If Penny ever found out about those four paintings under the floorboards…

Well, Sara wouldn't allow that to happen and would keep a sharp eye on all of her friend's activities. Much easier to manage than her own turbulent emotions.

Sara made sure to look up and check the other girl's process on the painting before going back to deciding on what to make for lunch. Most of Penny's expertise in making food actually rested more under the baking category than actual meals. Penny did know lots of warm, delicious casseroles and hot dishes that were good to eat during the cold and damp weather especially the winter season but was limited throughout warmer climates. This gave Sara the opportunity to do the cooking herself, checking for different and simple recipes to try for fun once in a while and practice some well-established favorites.

In its own way, cooking was relaxing and repetitive action, allowing Sara to concentrate on the food being made and then check on Penny during the periods between the prep-work. It kept her busy and occupied, which was all she could ask for. Like the piano or writing. Those were therapeutic in their own way.

Sara could lose herself in playing pieces on the piano, and, sometimes, she'd sing, something she only ever did alone or with Penny as a witness. The younger girl would sometimes join in for a familiar or repetitive song but for the most part listened with rapt attention. Those were moments that were special and private for just the two of them.

Writing had become a large hobby for both women, but more so for Sara than Penny. Despite her statement, swearing off writing, Sara couldn't help herself but had actually been starting to create some original pieces that even Penny didn't know about. The brunette planned on eventually piecing the little tidbits together into a short story or a novella. There was nothing concrete or formally written down yet, just ideas floating in the back of her mind that she recorded in shorthand in the small journal by her bed.

And really, the past few days had been the most relaxed that she had felt in a long while. It really seemed like it was all over, especially when Sara had finally gotten in contact with her editor to remove the books. Oh, that had been the fight of the century to get the other woman to agree, stretching Sara's extensive legal knowledge and know-how to its limits. But the editor had finally given in when it was laid out quite plainly what had happened as consequence for them giving out her personal phone number to a complete stranger without first verifying his credentials.

How they suffered from extreme duress when "Mr. Caligari" chased them into Canada until it fell under the jurisdiction of the Canadian police force when Sara was abducted by him.

"He was never a producer. He was an obsessed and deranged fan who imprisoned me for several hours. We barely managed to escape him." Sara paused. "Imagine the bad press you'll receive. The liability. You'll never be in business again."

Sara threatened to sue the publishing company for everything they had for putting both her and Penny in that dangerous situation in the first place if they didn't have all the books removed from the stores. It wasn't surprising when the editor folded and agreed to do everything that Sara asked, albeit begrudgingly.

It really started to look like everything was returning to normal, and Sara wouldn't have it any other way.

Sara smiled briefly, while she looked through the spice rack to supplement her recipe, frowning as she held cumin in her hand. "No, I can't use cumin." She told herself automatically. "Someone's allergic…someone is…" Her voice faded and she shook her head. She had no idea of who she was talking about.

"Losing it." She told herself. "I'm just losing it…" She started to sing quietly to herself in order to calm her mind.

"_And we run, with a lonely heart, and we run, for this killing love, and we run, for our heavenly home."_

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Can we make some coffee today?" Penny asked as she placed the circular pan into the oven. "We can have tea too, if you'd like," she hurried to add.

"Um, yeah," Sara answered from her place on the couch, eyes scanning briefly over the articles on the newspaper before turning to look towards the kitchen curiously. "What's with the sudden craving?"

"Oh, well, I'm making Mendocino Inn coffeecake. I found the recipe on Tumblr and I wanted to try it. Thought it would go better with coffee, 'cause of the name, _coffee_cake."

The older woman smiled before turning back to the article she was reading previously. "That does make sense, I guess… You know, never thought you were a blogger."

"Not really, I just repost and favorite other posts," the red head replied distracted as she placed the used bowls into the sink and began to wash them. "I'm kind of like a stalker, actually."

Sara coughed, "You _what_?"

"Well, I follow other people online and repost a bunch of pictures of actors from TV shows or movies I like from their blogs. Mostly, just food and places I'd like to visit someday and things I find fascinating, but there's pictures of people on there too. So, I guess it's kind of weird and a bit stalkerish, especially since I've never met them."

"Well, I don't know about that, Penny. It's not as if you know where those people are every second of the day or what they do every waking moment," Sara snorted before pausing in reflection. "You don't…do you?"

"No, I don't, but _gabby-sarsaparilla59_ usually likes to-"

Sara groaned, "_Please_, don't tell me you put anything personal on your blog."

"No, why would I? I just like to sort things I like on my blog and find new things to enjoy. The only thing I don't like about Tumblr is that you can't sort stuff into neat little files or sections like on Pinterest…Makes things difficult to find later," Penny rambled absently as she set about drying and putting away the clean dishes.

"Well, if it makes you happy, I guess go for it," Sara muttered. "As long as you're careful." Once more, they lapsed into a comfortable silence. Penny finished putting the dishes away and, after double-checking the timer for the coffeecake, sat back down at her easel, returning to painting. The scene that she had started yesterday was now coming to a close. It was a strange image to behold.

There were three people in a dark alleyway with the only light providing a red glow from the security lighting in the alley and a pale white beam delivered by the streetlight lamp just outside the entrance to alleyway. It was raining. Pouring to a great degree. The tenth Doctor was in a kneeling position, body facing towards the viewers of the painting while his torso turned towards the two girls behind him, which he stared at in surprise.

The girl with the short red hair was in sharp focus, body posture portraying that of an admonishing and unimpressed mother. One hand was on a propped hip while the other shook a stern finger at the Time Lord. She looked for all the world as if she was scolding the Doctor, giving him a sharp reprimand and a stern lecture. Really, she appeared as if she was one second away from sending him off to his room after chiding him for his misbehavior.

And the other girl was strangely faded, out of focus, as if she hadn't yet brought any attention to herself. She held a pensive expression as she observed the scene herself. There was the faintest trace of amusement at the Doctor for his predicament but there was plenty of worry in her expression too. Ironically, this girl seemed vaguely familiar to Sara in all the previous paintings in which she had appeared, but now, Sara was positive that she had met the girl before, especially with how this painting portrayed her.

As the painting was finished and set out to dry by Penny, who then proceeded to wash her hands thoroughly to handle the coffeecake, Sara studied it for a long moment. Eventually, slowly, it came to her. That almost ghostly appearance, as if the girl wasn't really there, similar to that of the TARDIS interface.

"That girl's Laura!" The older woman cried. "I'm sure of it!"

"Eh?" Penny asked as she placed the coffeecake on the stovetop to cool. "You mean the girl we saw that we thought wasn't there but was?"

"Yes, she's one of the girls you are always drawing. I didn't recognize her until now. And this other girl, the red head, who is she? A friend of Laura's?"

"Well, I didn't even know I was drawing Laura," the younger girl confessed sheepishly as she took off her oven mitts, coming to stand next to her friend to look at the drying painting. "I never realized… Don't know who they are, the other girl or the one with the silver eyes. I just…draw them, sorry."

"It's not your fault," Sara reassured her. "I was just curious is all. Who knows, maybe we'll see them both again someday, like we did with Laura. Anything is possible, right?"

Penny grimaced and hugged herself defensively. "Oh, I rather hope not. Thought I was going crazy the last time that happened." Sara made to respond but was interrupted by the doorbell buzzing. Both women looked at each other before Sara went to answer the door this time.

Pressing the talk button, she asked, "Who is it?"

Then she pressed 'listen' to get, "_It's me, Donna. Can we talk?_"

Pursing her lips, Sara turned to look at Penny who was staring back at her friend. "What do you think, Penny?"

"Well, we did say to come at tea time as long as it wasn't on a Thursday…"

"Today is Saturday," Sara confirmed. "And all we have left to make is the tea and your coffee…" Pressing the talk button once more, she said, "Good timing. We were just about to put the kettle on." After remotely unlatching the security door for the ex-temp, the brunette entered the kitchen and set about making the tea while Penny started cutting the coffeecake. Neither woman said anything, their consternation already made present by this arrival. Besides, they would be having more than their share of talking soon enough.

Soon a knock sounded on the door, Penny had already finished cutting out pieces of the dessert and set them out on a decorative plate, while Sara had both the kettle of tea and the pot of coffee well on their way to completion. The younger girl answered the door and let the companion into the apartment.

Donna got comfortable in the rocking chair that was adjacent to the small couch which Penny found herself curling up in a corner. "Hi, Donna," she greeted.

The older woman smiled. "Hello, Penny.

Sara emerged from the kitchen to join them with the tea tray in hand, examining the Doctor's companion in front of her. She had difficulty knowing where to start since their prior encounters had not been on the best of terms. Maybe it was best to keep things simple.

"Do you take milk and sugar?" Sara started, pouring the tea into cups.

"Oh, just a little of each." She raised her eyebrows. "Didn't know you knew how to make loose leaf tea."

Sara pressed her lips together and exhaled. "My family taught me before they…." Her voice trailed and Donna grimaced.

"I'm really sorry. The Doctor told me what happened to both your dimensions and…" Donna shook her head as she lifted up her tea cup. "I'm sorry."

"It's been a couple years." Sara said, looking at Penny who frowned. This wasn't a pleasant subject.

Donna glanced up at the two girls overwhelmed by her sudden empathy. She had only just lost her own father a few months prior after she and the Doctor had returned from Pompeii. It was in that time that Donna struggled with the decision as to whether to continue traveling with him, especially when it came to facing the Sontarans.

She had admittedly been a bit frightened of him before and indeed wary after the TARDIS she was unceremoniously transported into, started to cause the surrounding area to snow simply at his whim upon dealing with her treacherous husband. Then again, having him being consumed alive by the children of the Racnoss wasn't a fate she wished on anyone.

Maybe a part of her was still intimidated by him but she could certainly hold her own and once she got to know the Doctor, she considered him as one of her best friends. He accepted her and occasionally listened to her advice. She in turn realized how solitary his existence must have been but now….she sighed. Now she had to attempt to make inroads with Sara and Penny in an environment….

It was so frighteningly realistic when the Doctor first transported the girls there after first confirming each one was medically stable. Penny wasn't in danger of having another episode and Sara, upon retrieving her from her fugue state, had been compelled into a deep sleep so she wouldn't readily relapse.

They remained blissfully unaware as the Doctor ran the series of tests he needed in his sickbay, than took them with their belongings to the microverse he created. He convinced Donna it was medically necessary to help them ease into life on the TARDIS. He hadn't anticipated the circumstances of Sara's past and therefore, the shock had been too great necessitating a slower adjustment period.

That was where Donna came in and she took a deep breath, looking at the two girls before her, wishing things could be different. But she understood. The safety of the universe came first. There was nothing else she could do but help them acclimate to their new situation.

"This is excellent." She glanced at Penny, after taking a bite of the coffee cake. She meant it too. The girl seemed to have a natural inclination towards baking. _Could teach me a thing or two. _"Really. What's your secret?"

"Wouldn't be a secret if I shared." Penny allowed herself a smile. "A recipe I found but I altered it a bit."

"Penny's being modest." Sara looked at her friend. "You should try her treacle tart or her chocolate soufflé. I don't know how she does it. Suppose that's why I run, otherwise with what she bakes I would have gained twenty pounds in the last month."

"Nah." Penny disagreed. "Wouldn't happen. Don't like to eat that much sugar, remember?"

"So you both enjoy running?" Donna verified, remembering how agile Sara and Penny were in their attempts to escape the Doctor.

"I used to play soccer in college." Sara explained. "Oh, well, I suppose that's football to you. Sorry, I-"

"No, I know what soccer is. And Penny, you…?"

"Always loved to run. When Sara took me out of the institution, we became running partners. Taught me other things like-"

"Pilates." Sara suddenly cut Penny off. Despite the fact she generally liked Donna, that didn't mean she wanted her to know all aspects of their self-defense regimen. She gave Penny a look before turning back to Donna. "Pilates is important for endurance."

Penny bit her lip. She knew she should have been more careful. Despite the fact that she liked the Doctor's companion too, she had participated in helping the Doctor track them down. Although, it was quite amazing to be in the presence of the actual Donna Noble who was so critical in saving the entire multiverse, she had to exercise better caution.

"Yes, sorry." Penny muttered, thinking briefly of the lessons in the use of pepper spray and mace she was given over the course of the last two years. "Pilates. Never had that before."

Donna merely frowned but seemed to let their shared conspiracy slide. "I really came here to talk. Clear some things up." She started. "What we did….well, it was handled very badly and I'm sorry. Wasn't fair to either of you."

"No it wasn't." Sara was adamant as she suddenly stood up and looked out the window seeing the Space Needle in the distance.

"He was worried. Just really worried." Donna tried. "Didn't know about the crazy other version that locked you up but…." She took a deep breath. "He shouldn't have lied to you." She looked at Penny. "Probably things went too far by the time I spoke to you at the bus station and…" Her voice trailed.

Sara looked at Donna and her expression softened as she remembered a snippet of conversation between this companion and the Doctor while Sara was imprisoned onboard the TARDIS. "You knew I was afraid of the infirmary when he didn't." She closed her eyes briefly. "He thought I was just being 'human'."

"Call it instinct. But it was pretty obvious." Donna said. "Though some things don't sink into that alien's head."

"I…" Sara paused in consideration. "But you stood up for me after…." She grimaced. She didn't need to mention all the times she bluffed, threatening Donna's life or that of the universe.

"Knew some whack job tortured you. Course I would stand up for you. Have to admit; glad you were just fooling us. Was a bit scared but…"

Sara swallowed, blinking away the tears that threatened to emerge. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I was just…." She turned back towards the window. "I'm sorry." It was all she could manage.

"Oh, sweetheart, it's all right." Donna stood up and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. She felt her tense momentarily and then start to relax. "Believe me, I think I may have heard worse at my own wedding. Now that was truly frightening."

"You mean with the Racnoss?" Penny asked, looking at her with interest. "Did the Doctor really chase after you on the freeway while you were in a taxi?"

"Yes…" Donna released a brief shudder at the memory of the event. "And I had to really jump out of a vehicle on the motorway into the TARDIS going sixty miles per hour."

"And there were huon particles in your system at the time." Sara remembered the episode and how her supposed fiancé had dosed her coffee each morning.

"Right, and on my wedding day, mind you, my emotions caused the huon particles to transport me to the TARDIS." Donna recalled the explanation the Doctor gave after she had calmed down. "I was less then pleased especially with him."

Sara gave the companion a small grin of amusement. "I bet."

Donna started to relax as their conversation progressed. It seemed like a beginning of an understanding was starting to take place between the three of them. _Just take this slowly. _She told herself as she looked at the two girls in front of her. For their sake, nothing should be rushed.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

The next day, Penny broached the subject of wanting to attend an evening mass and Sara glanced up at her from the piano, offering a shrug. "Why not?" Indeed, they had been rather reclusive since they had been returned to their home, deciding to stay indoors. The ever-present rain was a motivator for that logic and although Sara didn't mind a run in such a climate, after the shock, they needed time to get their home in order.

But going to mass was important, especially now after what had happened. Sara felt that she needed the absolution that the Church could give her as well as taking part in the comfort of communion mass.

They left their apartment a couple hours later without giving a thought to the contrary and wandered through the darkened streets nearing the chapel that was only two blocks away from their home. When they approached and stepped inside, that was when they knew something was wrong.

Very wrong.

The church was empty. Not a single priest or parishioner was present in the building at a time when it should have been filled with people.

Sara glanced around nervously. "Hello?" She called out. Were their clocks set incorrectly? Did she get the time wrong? Even so, someone should still be lingering about as long as the church doors were open. "Anyone here?"

They started to sweep through the aisles and opened the doors of the confessionals only to find both sides empty.

"Where is everyone?" Penny asked. She had just checked the back where the communion wafers and wine was stored.

"I…" Sara had a sneaking suspicion but she didn't want to believe it. Not after everything they had both endured. _It can't be….he wouldn't…._"Let's go outside." She grabbed Penny's hand as they headed outdoors into the cool night air and directly into the street, drifting down one alley and into the supposed busier portion of the city.

Only it wasn't. Empty sidewalks. Desolate roads. A virtual ghost town. Sara started to shudder, clenching her hands into fists.

"Hel... Hello!" Penny calls out. There's no response. No noise. No chatter.

"I... I think we're still on the TARDIS," says Sara, looking around furiously, clenching her teeth at the empty metropolis they were placed into. The one thing the TARDIS couldn't create was people for which Sara and Penny could interact with. To give the illusion that convincing touch. The Doctor never released them. He hadn't even considered it. Instead, he gave them this lifeless imitation as a meager form of compensation for the price of their liberty.

It was chilling. All this time and Sara had been lied to again. AGAIN.

"So?!" Sara called out, her temper rising. "Where are you guys? Shows over!" Sarcasm laced her tone. "Can't be that much fun if the rats know they are in a maze!"

"Sara, Penny, just calm down." It was Donna, her voice soothing, coming up from behind them.

"Easy for you to say when you can come and go as you like." Sara told her. "But us? No. Lied to repeatedly and then given the illusion of being home." She folded her arms across her chest. "Did you have a good laugh at our expense? Think it was funny in both your little version of the 'Truman Show'?"

"That's not why we did it." Donna shook her head. "We were trying to make you both feel safe. Ease you into life here. I'm the first one to admit, Doctor went about it all wrong." She paused. "But all those threats, Sara. You scared him. I know you didn't intend-"

"She was bluffing." Penny interrupted. "Sara would never, ever kill someone. She stopped the other Doctor from destroying his universe. She just didn't want this one to do the same with us around. She wouldn't hurt anyone."

Donna grimaced. "We know that….I know that….now." She sighed. "But then…"

"Then….what?" Sara challenged. "Think I would honestly take a gun and shoot you? The Doctor? A bunch of innocent people? Destroy the universe on purpose?" She inhaled quickly. "Is that it? I'm just a monster?" She was thinking quickly. "I'm not the one that is really going to kill you Donna! I never would do what the Doctor is about to do in the future to you!" She pressed her lips together. "Talk about barbarism."

Donna suddenly went pale. "Wait…what do you mean?" She remembered the girl's reaction to her on the road. Was Sara possibly telling the truth?

"Sara!" Penny called out warningly but Sara couldn't be stopped.

"Your friend, your best mate, the Doctor, you know what he's going to do? He'll lobotomize you." At this point tears filled Sara's eyes. She always hated what the Doctor did to Donna. It was one of the worse scenes in the show. "He'll wipe your mind. All your memories. Everything that has to do with-"

"SARA!" The Doctor immediately appeared from behind them cutting her off. "Stop right this second."

"Why?" Sara looked at him askance. "I was just getting to the good part." She grimaced. "Or the worst, I should say."

"Not another word…"

"Donna, you can't trust him." Sara warned frantically. "He doesn't care about free will. You'll beg him to stop so many times, I lost count but he won't listen. I tried once. The amount of times you say 'no'. Over and over and over…"

The Doctor suddenly took hold of Sara's elbow and she looked up at him startled, instantly, trying to pull away. "Let go of me!" She shrieked.

"We need to talk."

"Don't touch me, you.-!"

"Sara." He turned her to face him. "You are not permitted to tell anyone his or her future."

"Kidnapping is also not supposed to be permitted. So is imprisonment. Lying is looked down upon too. Why should I give a crap about what you say when you're going to psychically lobotomize your own companion? At least she should have a heads up?"

"I mean it, Sara." He said, looking at Donna with concern. It would be yet another conversation he would need to have with his companion later to address the fears he was sure Sara had brought to the surface of Donna's mind.

"And I mean it too!" Sara glanced at Penny. "I don't give a shit about your rules. This stupid illusion. Another lie. Send us home! Send us home right now and you won't have to worry about it!" She paused. "Or do you not consider you are trapping me in hell because that is what this is. Hell. Don't you even care at all?" Her voice started to crack and suddenly she fell to her knees with a sob. Tears filled her eyes.

"This isn't fair. I just want go home. Please, just let me go home." Sara begged.

The Doctor closed his eyes, his features softening but inside he knew he had to remain firm despite the avid despair in the girl's voice. "You're right, it isn't fair but I can't." He told her quietly. "I'm so, so sorry." He crouched down in front of her. "But you can't go back home."

Sara pulled away from him, her breathing staggered as she wrapped her arms around her middle. She had never felt so trapped. Not in at least two years when she struggled for very freedom and sanity from a Doctor who hadn't ceased to torment her. How would she survive it now?

"Sara, when you left the institution, I read in your file that outpatient therapy was part of your requirements for your release." The Doctor paused in consternation. "Did you follow any of those instructions?"

"I had Penny to take care of." Sara said numbly, glancing at her friend. "I didn't need another psychiatrist."

"That's what I was afraid of." The Doctor muttered. Although he agreed with Sara's approach of weaning Penny off of the neuroleptics since the institution misdiagnosed the younger girl, they certainly were correct in Sara's condition. He proceeded to continue looking directly at his charge. "There is a regimen I want you to start with me and-"

"What, therapy, with you?" Sara balked at the mere thought. "No thanks."

"There will be rules for the two of you since you are both my responsibility. For you, this will be one of them." His voice was adamant.

"Then I say no." She couldn't even fathom the idea of sitting down and talking about what she endured with the Time Lord Victorious to his very duplicate. The concept alone…

"It is necessary, Sara." He was thinking of all of Sara's threats, her extreme paranoia, her recent fugue state brought on by her post traumatic stress, not to mention her attempt at killing herself. "You have let your condition go untreated and your symptoms have been aggravated, the last three days not withstanding. Not saying I didn't make any mistakes here but…"

"Then leave me alone!" Sara shrieked as she tried to stumble to her feet. "Don't make me do this! I can't talk to you of all people about this!"

"Doctor," Donna interceded. "Do you have to….?"

"Donna, you have to trust me. She's-"

"Trust him!?" Sara protested. "Out of everyone? He lied to me from the very start! Couldn't even bother to tell me the truth but used an alias and some pretense to trap us both!" She swallowed. "He forcibly went inside my head to find out where Penny was so he could kidnap her! I'm not going to-"

He took a deep breath. "As I said, I know I made mistakes." He looked at Sara who was struggling with her own emotions. "Don't you want to move past him? Show the Time Lord Victorious that he's not in control?" He softened his tone. "You can do that and I can help if you let me. There are techniques I can teach you. Ways YOU can change how you think. Please Sara." He put one hand on her shoulder. "I promise you I'm not him and after what I saw in your mind, I don't want to be. I want you to make this decision for yourself."

She gazed at him for a long duration, her own voice shaking when she finally answered. "But I really have no choice then?" Her hands trembled. How could she even do this?

His head gave a slight shake but from her appearance, maybe, just maybe he was starting to make headway. "Nope." He said, popping the 'p'. "My ship, my rules but I swear to you, I'm only here to help." The Doctor assured her.

"Why?" She asked. "Why even bother with this at all? You have what you want and…"

"Because I'm a doctor, Sara. I won't sit back and do nothing if I can help it. I just can't." He looked at her directly and nodded. "We'll try this for a month and see how you progress. Take things from there."

"A month?" She gaped at him. "A whole month…but….." Her voice trailed.

"One of your rules, Sara and weeell, you might just start feeling better for it." He paused. "Your never know." He pressed his lips together gazing at her firmly while she stared back as though testing his resolve. Finally she glanced down, her expression utterly reproachful, clenching her hands into fists at her sides. He massaged the bridge of his nose. _I will do this. I have to._

He turned from Sara who had approached Penny, appearing calmer as she clasped hands with the younger girl, looking at the Doctor warily. He sighed, approaching them cautiously. He was still pouring over the test results on Penelope he conducted before he transferred her to the temporal bubble. The nucleotide resequencing of her organs and factors in her blood were indeed a puzzle.. He had yet to process Sara's newest blood work he had the liberty of taking as well. Since she had destroyed several pieces of equipment in his medbay, reconstruction was slow so much of it was kept in storage for later examination.

"You told me you would take us back." Sara said mournfully, referring to her fugue state. "You said, we could go back home."

"Back to your apartment." The Doctor confirmed. "I made you an exact replica in every detail to help you feel safe and you can stay there as long as you choose." He took a deep breath. "But I can't let you go back to Seattle. I think you two know that." He shook his head. "It's too dangerous."

"But why?" Penny asked. "We would have stopped writing. We gave our word. Sara even called her publisher to have the books pulled from all the shelves and tried to take the websites down herself."

"I know." His voice was gentle. "And I appreciate that. It's not about the books. The information you have alone, if you were in the wrong hands could cause paradoxes that would destroy the universe." He paused. "And even if you somehow resisted telling them…" His voice trailed, glancing at Sara.

"What?" She took a deep breath. "I told you. I don't know how to depolarize my energy…it just…the other Doctor. I was kidnapped by Cybermen and they forced me. Were going to update me. He was going to use their link and used some setting on his sonic, depolarized my energy. I saw them all die around me. Every last one while I was bound to a chair. I couldn't even move. Could even smell my own flesh burn…then the child….I knew this man that was with us was supposed to have a son but then he said he didn't anymore." Tears came to Sara's eyes. "He just forgot him and then I realized it was me. I ripped him right out of time and it was-" She could hardly breathe at the memory.

"It's alright Sara." He told her evenly. "Just calm down. None of that was your fault." Still he clenched his jaw at the thought. The risk and audacity the other version of himself took with the energy Sara carried. If his calculations were even remotely incorrect, one child's life obliterated from existence would have been the least of his worries. "But…" He started, looking at her with consternation. "But," He closed his eyes briefly. "It's extremely possible your premature death could lead to the same depolarization that you only threatened to cause with the sonic."

Sara started to pale, simple staring at him. "No, that's not right. It can't be. I…"

"That's why the other Doctor was trying so hard to keep you alive." The Doctor grimaced. "Just going about it entirely the wrong way."

"Oh, Sara…" Penny started. "I'm sorry."

"But I…" Sara leaned against a building, breathing hard.

"When you tried to kill yourself…" The Doctor started.

"Oh, and why do you think that was?" Sara looked up at him. "Put me under telepathy and then promised you wouldn't use telepathy while doing it at the same time." She closed her eyes. "Shouldn't make promises you couldn't keep. I had to use your name to break free."

The Doctor's eyes widened. _So that's why…._

"I couldn't even think. I was….my head. I was dizzy. Hard to stay still and I panicked."

The human mind when suddenly broken free from telepathy did have repercussions and the Doctor had not taken them into consideration. Now that he considered, Sara's gait was unsteady and her pupils were unfocused. Inwardly, he cursed. He should have never left the kitchen after retrieving the sonic. He should of…

"I'll make that promise now unless it becomes medically necessary." It was the best the Doctor could do. "No telepathy and no entering your mind. How's that?"

Sara and Penny were silent, refusing to answer. They still couldn't trust him. Too much had happened that had proved to the contrary and the Doctor sighed. He had to continue to lay down the rules for his two petulant wards. With the very universe at stake, too much time had been wasted already.

"Now while you're with me, there are things you need to understand." He started, his tone serious as he looked at them both.

"You are restricted to the TARDIS unless given special permission to leave." He started.

"So, never right, if…" Sara muttered. "If-"

"Sara, let me finish." He interrupted her. "You may only leave the TARDIS if you remain in my presence."

"Don't wander off." Penny whispered to Sara and the elder girl grimaced remembering the other Doctor.

"You will not try to use your energy without my direct supervision." He directed at Sara.

"What?" She exclaimed. "I don't even know how! It's just there. Probably doesn't do anything else but…"

"Sara trust me. You're energy is not just sitting there and you are capable of using it. You just don't know it yet."

"But…" Sara frowned. "It's been two years! Nothing…"

"I promise, we'll talk about it. It's-"

"You mean destroy the universe so-"

"No, there are other properties, other functions your energy has." It would be a long conversation and he didn't want to go into it just now.

"But…"

"Sara, you will need to wait." His voice was stern as he looked at her impassively. She folded her arms across her chest, reproachful. What if he was lying to her? The other Doctor had not mentioned a word. For all she knew this Doctor could be the same.

"You are not to tell others their future." He glanced at Donna. What damage had Sara done already since his companion looked downright upset. After he was done here, he and Donna would need to have a talk.

Sara was silent until she looked at the Doctor. Her final comment was an abstract one. "Free will is important to humans. Maybe you should think about it."

_What is that supposed to mean? _The Doctor thought but he continued.

"You will not share my past or future with anyone."

Sara and Penny knew better most of the time of how to phrase things to prevent a paradox from occurring. Even the Doctor's trip into Sara's mind had been protected from letting key factors slip.

"You are not to threaten to kill or harm others." He paused. "Harming yourself is also not permitted."

"You were hunting us down across the country." Sara told him. "You lied, dragged Penny out of our apartment and then the phone calls…" She started. ""I just wanted you to back off. I would never have hurt them. We wanted our life back." She shook her head. "I had to get you to back down."

"By threatening every person I cared about?"

"You threatened every person I CARED about!" Sara put her hands on her hips, her body shaking. The Doctor frowned before looking at Sara and then at Penny.

"I would never have harmed Penelope, Sara." He told her sincerely.

"After spending two months locked up with a borderline sociopath who looks exactly like you, how am I supposed to know the difference?" A tear started to trickle down her cheek. "I can't…" She started. "I just can't do this right now!" Immediately, she took off running back into the direction of the facsimile of her apartment. Immediately, Penny gave pursuit.

"Sara, wait…" The girls rounded the corner. This time, the Doctor didn't institute an internal physical loop. Maybe it was enough for one day. He had only a few dictates left and they were ones he had made previous mention of to the girls. After realizing they have never been taken home in the first place, the Doctor released a sigh as guilt permeated his hearts. This simply couldn't be easy and even with the rules he had given them, he didn't know if they would take them into account.

"Tomorrow's another day, Spaceman." Donna encouraged. "They just need a bit of time."

"Time is not always a luxury." The Doctor said, glancing down at the psychic paper, which a message appeared sometime prior while he was in the vortex.

_The Library_

_XOXO_

"May have a trip ahead of us sooner then we think." He put the folder away and looked at Donna, worry lining his features.

"What? With them?"

"I know the place." The Doctor asserted. "There will be no where they can run."

"But…" Donna was worried. They had barely realized they had been on the TARDIS all this time and she was the first to acknowledge that their adventures were of the dangerous variety. "What about their safety?"

"Just have to keep them by my side at all times." And he would. He would take precautions to make sure of that. Specially equipped transmat beacons would keep the girls from going too far without discomfort to them. But he still had a day or two left to prepare them and take care of essentials before their trip became a necessity.

"Why don't we have a cup of tea in the kitchen?" The Doctor changed the subject, glancing over at Donna. The predictions Sara made once again needed to be addressed. "Then you and I can have a talk." He steered his companion out of the microverse of the replica of Seattle he created, casting a discreet glance back.

His first discussion with Sara could not be put on hold for long. There were concerns he needed to address, one of which he witnessed inside her mind.

'_The Doctor is a character from a TV show.' _That was what she told his counterpart and it made him pause in consternation. _What does she mean by that?_

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Penny barely reached Sara as they made it back to the apartment. No. The facsimile of their home. That's all it was. She should of noticed the empty streets, lacking of the usual crowds but….they wanted so much to believe that their nightmare was over. What would they do now?

"Sara," Penny tried hopelessly. Her older friend turned to look at her and Penny bit her lip. What could she say? "Is there….?" She paused. "Maybe we can g-get out or…."

"His name won't work anymore." Sara's voice was weary. "We can't even find the console room. He'll make sure of that." She clenched her hands together at her side. "We don't even know how to leave…." Her voice trailed and she gestured at the replica of Seattle outside the window. "Whatever this is."

"Could the sonics…." Penny suddenly glanced at her friend in alarm. "Do we still have them?"

"Yes. Lucky for us. Buried them inside our luggage with our new clothes, which he returned." Sara shook her head. "But they won't help us get off the TARDIS." Still, Sara had to take precautionary measures. She couldn't carry both devices with her at the same time. Better to hide the second one in a discreet location that only she would know in case the Doctor decided to formally confiscate the sonic he was aware of. Sara collapsed on the couch feeling utterly drained as Penny sat beside her, filled with anxiety.

"So he really is going to lock us up forever." Penny was remembering her desperate attempt to escape the Doctor when he chased her through the apartment. How when he took hold of her, she called out Sara's name and pleaded with him not to confine her in such a way. He assured her he wouldn't but….but…now. She closed her eyes putting her hands over her face.

Sara looked at the younger girl and immediately swallowed her own fear as she attempted to put on brave front. Putting her arm around Penny's shoulders, she attempted to console her.

"No, we…." Sara closed her eyes briefly. "We're just a bit stuck right now. We'll still find a way out. We have an advantage, you know."

"Advantage?"

"We know his future." Sara took a deep breath. "Sooner or later, he'll let us off the TARDIS and then we'll have our chance."

"But he'll come after us and….and…" Penny thought of how strong the Doctor was. How easily he was able to pull her out from beneath the cabinet. "I can't fight him….he's…"

"Then we prepare." Sara told her firmly. The TARDIS had an entire library. Surely even the Doctor wouldn't begrudge them a visit and from there, the two girls would learn what they needed about defense. They would determine the episode the Doctor was on and Sara would find an opportunity. She knew she had come too far for either of them to give up now.

**Author's Note: **Well they determined that they are still on the TARDIS and now things are moving forward. We do appreciate the reviews and are glad that you like the story. Thank you to LovelyAmberLight for her advice as always.

I also would like to recommend the story Shae by Azaadin for a new approach on the Ripped from Reality them to those that are interested.


	6. Silent Warnings

Sara woke up with a start. Another nightmare. She took a deep breath and looked at Penny who lay beside her on the bed. Neither girl wanted to sleep in their own room tonight after what happened so they took to merely huddling under the covers, holding each others hands for support and reassurance.

It didn't prevent the dream from returning. The Valeyard who was pursuing her through the corridors of a rotting TARDIS, taunting her with the words of a children's rhyme. _"An apple a day, keeps the Doctor away."_

She had pushed the comforter aside, her throat dry as she gazed out the window hearing his voice echo in her mind. _"Once more chance."_ His smile had been utterly menacing. _"You've given me one more chance."_

"No." Sara whispered. Her heart pounded as she headed out to the living room, closing the bedroom door behind her. Was she already doomed on her present course? '_If the Doctor regenerates in the mindset of the Time Lord Victorious with nothing to pull him back….'_

She shivered. It looked like nightfall outside but Sara knew time had no meaning in the vortex. The TARDIS was only adjusting an illusion to make it appear more real. Swallowing, she sat down at the piano, wanting to do nothing more then vent some the frustration she felt. _Liar…despicable, manipulative liar. Everything he says is a lie. He…._Her thoughts trailed as her mind started to wander. Her fingers drifted over the keys playing a song that was distinctly foreign to her.

"_You run away, you hide away to the other side of the universe_

_where you're safe from all that hunt you down…."_

She was puzzled, staring at her hands as if they had become detached from her body. What song was this? Where had she heard it before? Without knowing why, she somehow knew all the words. An image drifted across her mind. The girl that tried to help her. To tell her to bluff in order to get away from the Doctor. The music still continued as Sara's eyes widened. Was it her? Could this girl…..?

"Laura…." Sara whispered to herself.

"You play brilliantly." A voice offered behind her. The Doctor. Immediately, Sara's hands slammed down on the keys as she turned to offer him a glare.

"What? Invading our privacy too?" Sara retorted. "Wait, I get it. Your ship right? No such thing. None of this is real."

She stood up and headed back to the bedroom where Penny was still asleep.

"Sara, wait." The Doctor insisted behind her. "Just stop."

She ignored him as she approached the door, stunned to find it absent. She turned. "What have you done?" She demanded. "Where is Penny?"

"Penelope is fine." He assured her. "Right where you left her." The Doctor locked his eyes on the girl in front of him. "It's time that you and I should talk."

"I have nothing to say to you."

Her grimaced. "My ship, my rules." He looked at her. "We discussed this."

"What? Therapy? But…" Sara paused in desperation. "It can't work. You had to be joking. You-"

"Oh, I promise you I'm not." He put his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. "I read your file from Dr. Dodgers." Lines creased along his forehead. "I also observed your behavior first hand."

"That was because you-"

"It was because you let your PTSD go untreated." He gave her a look. "What woke you up at this hour?" He posed knowingly. "A nightmare? Perhaps a flashback?"

"It's…." She closed her eyes, her words failing her. "I…" She started. Her hands started to tremble in reflection of the dream she had. Closing her eyes, she leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths to steady her already racing heart.

She was startled when she felt his hand on her shoulder. "Lets just talk about it, shall we?" He was guiding her back out to the living room and Sara at the moment felt too numb to put up any resistance.

"Talk." She repeated.

"Yes. Donna and I do it frequently." He released Sara to approach a side table. "Probably should of taken her advice earlier. Would of saved me…" He started to mutter only to stop, pressing his hands against the wood.

"What advice?" Sara asked. In the other reality, Donna had attempted to intervene to help Sara even without her memory intact. Would this Donna have acted differently?

"She wanted to approach you both first. Talk to you without my being present. Thought it would be less threatening." He explained.

"Oh, she was definitely on to something." Sara replied immediately. "Knew I liked her for a reason given…"

"Given you threatened to shoot her?" The Doctor glanced back at her.

"I would never…" Sara started to sputter. "Never, ever hurt her. You don't know who she is, what she means….I...it made me sick to even…." She could hardly speak, collapsing back on the couch as she put her head in her hands.

"Sara, it's alright. Just take it easy. I'm sorry. I shouldn't of…" His voice became soothing. "Here, try this." He paused. "It will help you relax."

She glanced up at him to see he was extended out to her a mug containing a beverage of some kind. Steam was spiraling out the cup and she looked at it warily. "What is it?"

"Chamomile tea." He raised his eyebrows. "Donna's special blend. She brought it onboard with her. Got me into the habit of drinking it at night. She thought you might like it."

Taking a deep breath, she took the offered cup, sniffing the liquid to detect any notable additions that Doctor might have attempted to add.

"It's only tea." He said. "I wouldn't use a sedative unless you asked for one or…" He paused briefly. "It became medically necessary."

"Why not just use a neural dampener on us then?" Sara took a sip against her better judgment. "I know on the eighth setting-" She started.

"Is that what he did?" He interrupted her. "Forced you to sleep with that device?"

"He had one installed in my room." She muttered. "Did it without asking. Became automatic. I just thought…" Sara looked down at the floor.

"Thought I would do the same." He sighed. "Weeell, you've both been here for a few days. Have you seen a neural dampener in your rooms? Felt its effects? Have you two been dreaming each night?" His tone was matter of fact. In order to create distinctions between the flashbacks of the person she feared and himself, he needed her to start to discern differences between her current reality and the past trauma she endured.

"I…." She looked at him blankly. "I don't know." She paused. "You both trapped me here on this thing." She gestured around her. "I never wanted to be a companion or travel like this. Penny and I are not like Donna or…" She was about to say Rose but decided to forgo the name. "Martha. We just wanted to be left alone." She shook her head. "Every time you go somewhere you are risking both your lives and we….Penny and I had nearly two years of a normal life until that was just simply snatched away."

"Which in itself was a bit of a miracle." The Doctor didn't even want to think about what could have happened if the wrong people got them first. What if the Master had found out about the two of them during 'the year that never was'? Fortunately, the books weren't quite a sensation yet and he hadn't picked up on Sara's energy signature. "Sara, you both need protection. Training." He sat directly in front of her, his hands just underneath his chin. "I think you more then anyone would know the what could happen if wrong species were to get a hold of either of you." He paused letting the information sink in. "The Cybermen? Weeell, you already know what they wanted to do." Taking a deep breath, he continued. "The Sontarans? Good thing they didn't find you when they tried to take over. They-"

"The Sontarans." Sara repeated. That meant the Doctor and Donna had already completed the 'Sontaran Strategem' and 'The Poison Sky'. He likely also concluded the episode where his daughter was conceived and he thought her to be dead. That left them…where? Sara was in consternation.

"Right. Donna nearly gave up on me right then and there." He shook his head. "But despite our close call, she just got to meet Agatha Christie. I think that managed to win her over."

"You both….you just met Agatha Christie." A prickle of dread ran through her. If she was right, then she knew what was to happen next….her stomach started to clench.

"You already know what happened during our visit, don't you Sara?" He looked at her directly. "Just like you knew about the Gelth, perception filters and the Slitheen."

No. She couldn't go through this again. She wouldn't be made a fool of twice. Still, she refused to lie. Not about something like this. She wouldn't live under someone's false pretext and having the Doctor think they were psychic….well, bluffing was one thing but living with a lie was another.

"We're not psychic." She said flatly.

He pressed his lips together, thinking hard. Maybe it was a lot for her to take in at once. She didn't even know what the other Doctor had taught her if anything at all regarding her precognition. He momentarily reflected on the very comment that came to question when he was in her mind.

"When you first met my duplicate," He started off gently. "You told him the Doctor was just a character in a TV show. That he was fiction." He studied her. "What did you mean by that?"

"I…." Sara winced internally. "I meant, well, he, and I guess you, in my universe, there is an actor who looks just like you and…" She took a deep breath. "He plays a doctor in a television show I once watched." Sara gave a shrug. "That was it."

"Reeaally?" When it wasn't a matter of life or death, he had to admit, Sara was a pretty terrible liar. He could very well believe there might have been an actor that looked like him but the way Sara struggled to merit an excuse had him now wanting to get to the truth of the matter. Was it a traumatic side effect of going through the void? Was there an interaction of the energy and how it impacted her mind?

"Yes, just some silly medical drama." Sara bit her lip. Would he buy it?

"So, what's the name of the show?" He challenged and Sara suddenly froze. "I'm curious. Silly or not. Care to tell me?"

At that point, Sara knew she had just been exposed. Her mind went utterly blank as she glanced up at the Doctor in panic.

"House." Another voice answered him and he turned. Penny was coming down the hall. Regardless of the fact that Sara didn't see the door to the bedroom, Penny hadn't in turn been locked in. She had also just…..bailed her out.

"House?" The Doctor looked confused.

"That's the main character on the show. H-He, well, solves difficult diseases that no one else can treat." Penny explained as she sat on the seat by her easel, replacing her nearly dry painting with a fresh canvas. "Sara and I watched a couple episodes but a different actor plays him in this reality." She scowled. "Don't really like him. Reminds me too much of Sher-"

"Yes, okay, I'm sorry Penny. I won't make you watch that again. But, right, 'House'. I just couldn't remember."

The Doctor looked at both girls, suspecting that Penelope had just covered for Sara but had yet to determine a reason why for the deceit. What were they so frightened of? He clasped his hands together. Perhaps it was their way of coping with the obliteration of their universe. Seeing a version of himself so soon after passing through the void, the human mind would certainly struggle in the face of a new situation. Perhaps she was trying to block out what had happened by initially stating the reality was a fictional one.

That meant….the Doctor sighed. The other Doctor already had done enough damage and undoubtedly, Sara relayed her experiences onto Penelope. Neither had fully coped with the loss of their own world if these fractured illusions were being used as a mechanism to distance them from that reality.

_The human mind is such a delicate thing, after all. _He thought. He needed to move forward.

"Do you both know what precognition is?" He started.

"I told you, we're not psychic." Sara argued.

"Sooo, did the other Doctor mention that you were?"

Sara inhaled quickly. What could she say? She and Penny were in enough trouble without this Doctor making a mockery of how they garnered their information about his future.

"He…" She paused in thought.

"Why not tell the truth this time?" The Doctor suggested and Sara suddenly glared at him.

"Oh, I could ask you that. John Caligari. Nice name by the way. Where did you come up with that?"

He grimaced. "It was an alias I used during my first regeneration."

"Because John Smith would be a dead giveaway right?" Sara looked away upset. The Doctor simply stood.

"I'm sorry that I lied. If I knew about your experience…"

"It wasn't just me." Sara interrupted. "What about Penny? She had an episode the minute you trapped us onboard. She-"

"All right." He held up his hand as he glanced at Penelope who looked suddenly disconcerted. She didn't remember a thing when the episode suddenly occurred but she knew it certainly caused Sara to panic. _It must have been a bad one. _She thought. All she could recall was being overwhelmed by the stress and fear, then…nothing until she woke back up in the facsimile of the hotel room. "I didn't intend for that to happen. I really didn't. The fact is…." He looked at both girls before resting his eyes on Penny remembering the advice given to him in the dream he experienced. "I know Sara's helped you and you improved since you left the hospital but my scans picked up something." He paused. "You could still need me to….."

"She doesn't need your help." Sara was adamant. "I told you-"

"Her organ size has increased substantially and the amount of hemomycin in her blood work is more significant."

"Sara," Penny looked at her friend. "What does he mean?"

"Penny, we've talked about this." Sara tried. "It happened while you were in the void. Something you picked up, like what I picked up."

"Oh, the dying TARDIS…" Penny started before putting her hands over her mouth and Sara frowned. What had she done? "Sara, I'm sorry…I didn't mean…." She hadn't been paying attention, too caught up in the light sketches that she had been making on the canvas.

"Dying TARDIS?" The Doctor asked. Oh that would explain a great deal. A TARDIS without her Time Lord often wills herself to death. A few had been known to fly into the nearest sun or the very cracks of the universe. That meant…weeell, it was beautiful really. The TARDIS in its dying moments must have initiated a low level telepathic bond with Sara just as her universe was destroyed flooding her with surplus artron energy as well as huon particle wavelengths to act as a buffer.

It would explain why being inside her mind reminded him of home, of other Time Lords, the vortex itself. It had been so comfortable there that he was begrudged to leave it. _Maybe that's why my duplicate violated her mind so many times. _He swallowed in distaste, remembering the traces of damage that he had seen which could only be the result of a repeat forced telepathic encounter. If he'd known…he sighed. He had to stop. The only path available to him was forward.

"It's nothing." Sara told him. She certainly didn't want to explain her encounter with the Eleventh regeneration. It was too closely tied together with the Time Lord consciousness locked away in some part of her mind.

"Actually quite amazing if a TARDIS bonded with you." He explained. "Being that you're only human but….."

"And you're only Time Lord." Penny suddenly interrupted. She had begun a new painting and was working as if on automatic but suddenly paused to turn on him. Sara looked at her startled. Where had that come from? The words were almost flat in affect. It didn't sound like Penny at all.

'_You're only Time Lord.' _Another voice seemed to resound in her mind. _'Visceral temporal precognition is…' _That sounded like the Doctor. _'This is a bit difficult for me to swallow.' _Sara shook her head."Penny, what…" She started but the Doctor was behind her examining the work she had previously completed. The alley with the two girls and his face distinct in the red glow.

"These two girls," He started. "Do you know who they are?" He wanted to ascertain the depth of their connection. Laura and Honor mentioned to him that they would be keeping track of them through their own uncanny perception. This seemed to confirm the link was a mutual one.

"Why does it matter?" Sara asked. "It's just a painting." She was on the defensive. Laura tried to help her and regardless of where she was, she knew she needed to return the favor.

"Ohhhh, they are not just paintings, Sara. You and Penny can see into alternate timelines." The Doctor thought intensely about the mindscape he shared. The two girls, wards of his duplicate in a parallel universe. Laura told him herself both girls needed his assistance coming to terms with the situation. He was trying to fulfill that request.

There it was again. Sara clenched her jaw. "No, I told you. We're not psychic, we're…."

"Precognitive." He interrupted. "You can both see with detail and accuracy into future events occurring in different realities."

"No, it's not true." She took a deep breath. "The other Doctor, the universe I was in was in the future. Your….possible future and…" She cringed inwardly. "I knew it all because it already happened there. So, you see, I found out what happened from him and…." He was looking at her, a doubtful expression on his face. "When I got here, I just told Penny everything so…"

He closed his eyes as he started massaging his temples. It would almost be amusing how obvious this lie was if the situation wasn't so serious. "Annnnd, after he put you under a stasis field, he sat there recounting in detail his entire life story?" He folded his arms across his chest. "That's what you want me to believe, hmm? While he tortured you, he decided to reminisce."

"We're NOT precognitive!" Sara exclaimed.

"The music you play…" He started. "I did an analysis through the TARDIS archive. They are songs that aren't due to be released for another six years."

It caught Sara completely by surprise and her face became pale. "No…it can't….it's…" She paused. "Our original universe was moving along faster then this one." She was determined. "Six years sounds about right. I could of heard and picked them up there. Just forgotten until now."

The Doctor stared at her doubtfully before continuing. "Not to mention Penelope's paintings. I ask again. Have you met these two girls before? Do you know them?"

"Does it matter?" She challenged. "Would you hunt them down too or…?"

"Laura and Honor." Again, Penny's voice was flat, distant, as she went back to work on her new painting. "That's who the other one is. Her name is Honor."

Sara emitted a groan as the Doctor examined her work. _Just like I thought._ The Doctor thought. Although the dream he had gave him great anxiety, he was confounded by their ability to enter a Time Lord's dream. Not to mention, their confrontation with the entity who tried to use him as leverage back to their reality. It alleviated him greatly that he was able to intercede but his brief inroads into their minds made him cringe. Penelope herself seemed to be interchanging between painting their timeline as well as a possible future. Despite their reluctance to admit their precognition, there were definitive portrayals of their fate he wanted very much to avoid.

"Look, please just leave it." Sara interceded. "I don't think they exist in this reality anyway. They wouldn't even be your responsibility."

He raised his chin to look at his ward. "You're right. They definitely aren't." He had already known that but getting Sara to admit it would be the first step in recognizing her ability. It would definitely require further discussion since obviously just the thought of this kind of premonition frightened her likely due to the actions of his duplicate that abused her. He clenched his jaw. If the Doctor that hurt Sara had been another just another Time Lord and Gallifrey still existed, he would bring him to the council for the crimes he committed against the girl. Like Ace, with the proper guidance and care from the start, admission to the Time Lord Academy could have been pursued if his planet had not needed to have been destroyed to stop the Time War.

_So many things went wrong. _His mind dwelled on Adric, a companion of both his forth and fifth regeneration that stowed away on the TARDIS. Younger even then Penelope, trying to gain entry into a street gang but found himself stuck on the TARDIS as it shifted out of his reality and back into the Doctor's. He was absolutely brilliant at mathematics but often questioned his own intelligence. His worthiness to be on the TARDIS. The Doctor cared for him deeply, which only made what happened to Adric utterly heart wrenching to watch as his companion, merely a child, saved the world by driving the ship he had been trapped inside, on a collision course with earth bringing the end of the dinosaurs and eventual rise of humans. He had been stranded to far from his TARDIS, unable to interfere. The death had haunted him from one regeneration to the next.

He swallowed looking at Sara and Penelope. True they had no choice but to stay on the TARDIS but he knew inevitably, they would have been found. He thought about what the Master had done to Laura in the parallel world and shuddered. The Doctor would do better in assuring his wards safety and likewise he detested the notion of losing another companion. He ran his hands through his hair thinking about the messages on his psychic paper, which were becoming decidedly more urgent….or endearing. It was difficult to tell.

"How do you two feel about leaving the TARDIS for a bit?" He asked.

They both looked up at him startled. "Y-you'll let us leave?" Penny asked with hesitation.

"Under my supervision and with a precaution set in place."

"Anywhere we like to go?" Sara started to hope. If they could just get back on Earth, they might have a chance…

"Actually no but I think you'll both have fun being that you're writers." He said encouragingly. "There's a library. The biggest one in the entire universe and we-"

"No way." Sara shook her head. "I'm not going there." The very thought of seeing what a Vashta Nerada does to human flesh made her ill. "I-I rather be locked up in here while you're gone."

"Don't want to see 'The Forests of the Dead'." Penny muttered. "It's….the data ghosts…."

"You know about…" He paused. "Alright, that's beside the point but Donna and I are going to be gone for a while and I can't leave you both on the TARDIS alone."

"But why?" Sara protested. "We can't even get out of this…." She glanced around her surroundings. "Whatever this is."

"Believe it or not, you both exhibit strong precognitive abilities and Sara, you were able to not only exit but leave yourself in control of my TARDIS. I won't take a chance of either one of you overriding the security protocols again by using your abilities to-"

"It doesn't work that way!" Sara interrupted. "We're not precognitive. It's just….we're not. I have no idea what your code words are."

"I'm sorry." He said simply. "I won't take that risk."

"But you have no idea what's going to happen there." Sara started. "There are these creatures that-"

"Sara, you remember my rules." He interrupted. "You can't tell anyone their future and that also includes me."

"Please…." Penny's voice became a plea. "Doctor, don't make us go. Just….it's terrible. I can't…" Her voice started to crack.

His expression softened as he approached the red head and put two hands on her shoulders. "What if I promise to send you both back at the first sign of trouble?"

"What if Donna stays with us?" Sara tried. She knew the Doctor needed to go to meet River but Donna simply ended up getting transported into that virtual reality world. Things went wrong as soon as he made the decision to do just that. "She can watch us from right here and…."

He knew he couldn't leave Donna with that kind of responsibility. "Sara, I promise, I will keep the both of you safe but I do need to have you two there with me."

Her shoulders slumped. She was stuck. She was utterly terrified of the notion of the Vashta Nerada lingering in the shadows and shivered. There was always River….yes, River. Maybe River could help them somehow.

She looked at Penny and then glanced back at the Doctor. "If….if we come, I'd like something in return."

"And that would be…?" His voice guarded. If they wanted unrestricted access to his console room, that would be very difficult.

"The library on the TARDIS." Sara told him. "We'd like to be able to use it."

He relaxed and started to chuckle. "Of course. I'll change the perameters once we return. You and Penny can visit any room you like." He shook his head. "If you don't want to stay here anymore then I can give you both rooms…"

"No…." Sara looked around the apartment. Even though it was only a copy, it was the last vestige of a comforting illusion she had left. "I think I would rather just stay here unless, Penny…?"

"At least this looks like home." Penny's voice was forlorn.

"Alright then, you can keep it." His voice gentle once again. "Let's say I come back in eight hours. You two get some sleep." The girls still seemed tense as they stared at him. "I promise, I'll keep you both safe. Nothing is going to happen." He started to progress out the door. "It will be fine. You'll see."

The door swung open and shut behind him as Sara's stomach began to churn. "That's what the other Doctor said." She whispered.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

After the Time Lord left, Penny went straight back to painting with a single-minded focus that left Sara resigned to her own devices for the lack of attention she would receive from her friend until the scene was completed. The picture was beginning to come together, details being added and starting to become clear. But then Penny did something quite shocking. She grabbed the metallic silver paint that she had previously only utilized for the countless portraits of the unknown black haired woman's eyes that she made numerous renderings of before.

Sara watched in utter surprise as her friend gingerly added an upside-down "V" to the chests of the two men in uniforms who were purposely made out of focus, the silver paint being the only sharp detail on the vague background provided as a setting. Then, Sara's surprise only grew when Penny proceeded to blend a pale blue with the metallic silver. This created an off-color, metallic slate blue, which she added to the eyes of the striking man at the forefront of the painting.

Not long after, when the masterpiece was apparently finished, Penny sat back in her seat, blinking to snap herself out of her trance. "Oh," she exclaimed quietly to herself.

"That's the first time I've ever seen you use that color for something other than those woman's eyes," Sara remarked just as softly. There was no need to specify who the 'her' she was referring to. "Who are they? Those people that are in the background?"

"They're people from 'Star Trek,'" Penny answered absently. "This is a scene from the newest movie. My mama loved that series."

"Could it mean something?" Sara asked as Penny gingerly stood up from the stool and stepped away from the wet canvas. The younger girl shrugged as she went into the kitchen to wash her hands from the paint. "I mean, sometimes you draw things from other timelines." Sara reflected briefly on what the Doctor said and frowned. "Considering you used the silver paint, it could be important."

"Maybe," Penny distantly agreed. "But I think I just miss home. Thinking about Star Trek reminds me of it. Maybe this is my mind's way of realizing it?"

It was Sara's turn to shrug, but she remained unconvinced as she gazed at the scene. Something about it nagged at her and her stared at it searchingly. After a long moment, she realized, "He's crying."

"Who?" Penny asked.

"The guy in the painting, the one in focus." He looked vaguely familiar but she was unable to place him.

"…" Penny didn't answer, leaving a telling silence.

"What happened to him? He doesn't seem like the type to burst into tears on a whim," Sara pressed.

"He crying because he's positive that his family had been killed," came the reluctant answer. "He's attempting to convince, the other two, Kirk and Spock to release him. 'Is there anything you would not do for your family'?'" She quoted. There was a longer and uneasier pause before she changed the subject, "How much time do we have left?"

Sara frowned but allowed the matter to drop as she regarded the painted man with a measure of pity. She didn't know much about Star Trek but in this measure she could surely relate to this fictional character. Losing everyone you cared for was surely agonizing. Both Penny and herself understood that far too well. She glanced at her friend and back at the painting. _Maybe that's why she painted it. _Sara assessed. _Her way of coping. _She shook her head. "Not much, you spent most of it painting. He'll probably be here in an hour or so."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Penny apologized. "Please tell me that you at least got some rest while I was here."

"I rested," Sara told a half-truth. While she did relax on the couch, she hadn't slept, which was what Penny intended. The younger girl paid no attention to this misdirection as she started to open cabinets in the kitchen. "Penny, what are you doing?"

"Well, we can't run for our lives on an empty stomach," she joked.

"Eat or be eaten," Sara agreed.

The red head giggled, "Sara, it doesn't work like that!"

"Well, it fits," Sara protested lightly. The two friends continued their casual banter as Sara joined Penny in the kitchen to make a filling breakfast as early morning light began to filter through the windows. They ate quicker than usual, feeling rushed as the clock counted down the seconds to when the Doctor would come for them and the hellish adventure would begin. They had enough time to wash the dishes, take turns showering, and dress in clothes easy to run in with time to spare when the Time Lord finally came to call.

He wasn't alone, Donna was standing in front of him, almost looking like a human shield. "Morning, you two," she greeted with a friendly smile. "Ready to head out?"

"Yeah," Sara answered reluctantly. "As much as we'll ever be. Just give us a moment to put on our shoes…"

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"Oh, before I forget," the Doctor said, as he dug into his pocket and removed two objects. "Here's something for the two of you." They were four inch wide gold bracelets that he handed to his wards. Despite his casual wording, the bracelets were essential in his goal to keep the two wayward girls close at hand. He had worked hard on the two pieces of jewelry for several days, fashioning transponders into something that delicate and unassuming in appearance was no easy feat.

But, as a test run, which Donna provided, they did their job perfectly in painlessly transporting the wearer back in close proximity of the homing device when they went past the set boundary of a hundred feet. He, of course, would keep the homing device on his person so that in effect his charges would always be close at hand, which was easier to both keep them safe and out of trouble when not on the TARDIS.

Penny admired the piece of jewelry and immediately slipped it on without needing to clasp it open or, apparently, any prompting to wear it. It was a little big on her wrist, so she pushed it up her arm until it fit snugly just above her elbow. "Erm, thank you," she told him, not one to forget her manners, even though she was a bit at a loss as to why the Doctor had the sudden urge to give them jewelry.

Sara, meanwhile, stared at it baffled. "But my appetite is just fine, I've been eating," She protested absently as she frowned at the bracelet, trying to remember why it looked so familiar to her.

"Sorry?" Donna asked, baffled at Sara's bizarre statement. "What does the bracelet have to do with your stomach?"

The brunette snapped out of her train of thought to look at Donna. "Er, what?"

"I don't know, you said it," Donna informed her, looking at the girl with curiosity.

Sara frowned at the other woman, feeling slightly irritated. "What are you talking about? I didn't say anything." Donna raised her eyebrows but decided to drop the subject, coming to the conclusion that Sara had only been thinking aloud. Sara then turned to the Doctor who had witnessed the whole conversation with vivid interest. "What are these for? You wouldn't randomly give out jewelry without a reason, so what do they do?" She assessed him with suspicion.

"They're…hmm…Well, I s'pose you could call them a safety precaution, insurance if you will," the Doctor told her, hardly expecting her sudden reaction to his explanation. The golden bracelet clattered to the floor as Sara stared at him in shock and anxiety.

_"Insurance." He answered flatly. _

_"I don't under-" Sara started to say but he was already pulling her outside and she could see the familiar outline of the prison as it arched towards the night sky._

_"No," She gasped. "We have to help her." Sara said in desperation as she clambered to her feet, moving forward._

_"Sara, stop."_

_"She could still be alive." She wasn't thinking clearly as she headed towards the smoke filled entrance. Her journey towards the prison was suddenly cut drastically short as she felt a throbbing pulse emanate from her wrist springing through the rest of her body like an electrical current and she found herself collapsing to her knees, completely unable to move._

_She glanced at the Doctor who appeared completely unsurprised by her sudden paralysis. In fact, he seemed readily satisfied by it as he approached her and she looked down at her wrist, recognizing the bracelet, realizing what the Doctor meant by 'insurance'._

This Doctor was no better than her own, devising a leash to disable her should she get too far, leaving her utterly helpless. She shuddered, remembering the violation the Master committed against her while the bracelet left her vulnerable. Like hell she would wear that in the Library, which would be the quickest route to being eaten; practically suicide.

"No way," she told him firmly before turning to her friend who was looking at her in confusion. "Penny, take that thing off." The younger girl looked as if she wanted to protest before she changed her mind, reluctantly taking off what she thought to be a very pretty piece of jewelry.

"Penelope, leave it," the Doctor told her with a frown, his eyes not leaving Sara's.

Hesitantly, Penny replaced it, only to be told again by her friend to remove it. The Doctor growled that she 'should leave it on' while he and Sara glared at each other. Huffing, Penny left it around her wrist to be either extracted or pushed back above her elbow once the two people in front of her reached a decision and temporarily paused to observe the current power-struggle the two were engaged with. It was exhausting just to watch.

"I can't believe it," Sara hissed. "No, wait, I _can_. I should've known that you'd pull the same thing he did. Didn't recognize the bracelets at first, different color and all. But still when it comes down to it. Precisely the same thing." She glared at him. "You're just like him."

The Doctor was confused. "What are you-"

"Don't play dumb with me!" She snapped. "These are the same bracelets you used on Blon Fel Fotch Pasmeer Day Slitheen! Like him you modified it so the jolt wouldn't be deadly, just disabling, so Penny and I won't be able to run or defend ourselves! How big did you make the leash? Ten feet? Fifteen? Oh, maybe you decided to be generous and make it _twenty_."

"Sara!" The Doctor exclaimed, shocked. "No, that's not it at all!"

"Oh, is that too much freedom for you? Right, better make it five," she spat bitterly.

"I made these from scratch. They're not programed to disable you or cause you any harm at all!"

"I can testify to that," Donna offered. "I tried one out myself. Bit disorientating at first, being in one place and ending up in another, but it never hurt. Besides, it's a hundred feet, not ten."

"Yes, exactly. I would never make a shock collar-well, I s'pose a shock bracelet-that would incapacitate you, especially if you fell behind or were for some reason separated from me. Having you simply transmatted to my side would make everything go much smoother. It's the only way to ensure your safety when off the TARDIS…" Left unsaid was the rest of the sentence: _And insure you don't try to run away again. _

"And, of course, you can't just lock us in the TARDIS," Sara said with exasperation. "Can't just let us stay in the mirco-verse."

"I can't risk being locked out again," he told her seriously. "If Donna wasn't there to open the door…"

"Yeah, yeah," she dismissed bitterly. "I _get_ it, we don't have a choice in the matter. We never do. Fine, whatever." Testily snapping on the bracelet, she gestured for Penny to do the same, who merely pushed the piece of jewelry past her elbow once again. The Time Lord looked as if he wanted to say more, perhaps try to explain himself or attempt to salvage the situation, before ultimately recognizing that it would be best not to push the brunette any more than he already had. He felt that his victory was a hollow one in persuading her to wear the transponder the way that he did. _I have to be patient. _He remembered the advice he was given in the shared consciousness and briefly closed his eyes.

Penny shifted uneasily in the tense silence that followed and asked very quietly, "Doctor, can you tell us again where we're going, please?"

He frowned at her, wondering if she had forgotten already before noticing her pleading expression as she glanced pointedly in Sara's direction. The older woman was moodily staring at him, and when he looked back at Penny, he realized that what she was truly asking for was a much needed change in subject. Forcing a smile on his face, he summoned a large amount of gusto in his response. "Well, the Library, of course." Turning away from his companions, he went to the console and began to set course for the destination, the TARDIS jolting beneath their feet. "Library with a capitol 'L', since it's the biggest library in the universe, so big it doesn't even _need_ a name, just a 'the.' It's even bigger than the one on the TARDIS, if you can believe that."

Slamming down a lever, the rocky trip came to an end, seeming to punctuate his next word, "Books!" Dashing to the door and grabbing his coat while on the way, he continued, "People never stop loving them." He opened the door of the TARDIS to an empty reception area with the women right behind him. "Here we are in the 51st century. By now there's holovids, direct brain downloads, and even fiction mist, but you need the _smell_, that dusty smell of aged paper that only a good book can provide." His voice echoed in the large room, reminding Penny a great deal of her middle school gymnasium, especially considering the wooden floors, white walls, and large empty spaces with only the reception desk and a few boxes scattered to otherwise clutter the vacant environment. The Doctor stopped by the doors that led out of the room and advised with eager anticipation, "Deep breaths, you three, take it all in."

Then he pushed them open and stepped out into the next room with Donna, Sara, and Penny close behind. Unlike the dim and dark reception area, this place was bright and airy, almost as if they had stepped outside. The clean tile floors with the resounding echo of Donna's voice and their footsteps said otherwise. "It's like a city!" She cringed slightly at how easily her words were amplified, but it did little to dampen her excitement.

"It's a world, literally a world. The whole core of the planet is the index computer, biggest hard drive ever, and the surface has every book ever written. Whole continents of Charlotte Brontë, G.K. Chesterton, Stephan King, Agatha Christie…" With each name he listed, they took a step down the stairs until they came to a balcony. Sara and Penny let out small exclamations of awe as they took in the sight. "Brand new editions, specially printed." Without any signal, all four of them leaned over the railing and looked down simultaneously.

As far as the eye could see, there were buildings that were nothing more than structures holding bookshelves. Inside the buildings were flights of stairs that went up multiple stories, each level containing nothing but a large room of novels and comfortable chairs especially inviting to the avid reader. There were doors on each floor leading to the exterior, which held more shelving with a safety railing adding along the outside of each walkway. It indeed was a city filled with nothing but blocks and blocks of skyscrapers reaching towards the artificial sky.

"We're near the equator, so..." The Doctor trailed off in thought as they pulled away from looking over the edge. With a glance to his wards, he dramatically licked his finger and stuck it up in the air, as if the nonexistent wind would tell him something before he swiped his hand in a 'eureka' gesture and exclaimed loudly, "This must be biographies! I _love_ biographies!"

All three girls jumped at the booming quality of his voice thanks to the echo provided by the Library, but Penny let out startled giggle at his antics while Sara rolled her eyes barely suppressing a smile. Donna sniped, "Yeah, very you. Always a death at the end." Not exactly the reaction he was going for, but he wasn't picky.

"You need a good death. Without death, there'd only be comedies. Dying gives us _size_." Once again, his voice echoed rather impressively, making all three twitch in place. Curious, Penny had picked up a book as they progressed and Sara was starting to read it over her shoulder, while Donna had attempted to follow their lead though far less covertly, catching the attention of the Time Lord who was acting much like their tour guide.

"Oi!" He exclaimed, confiscating the two books. "Spoilers!" He pointedly slipped them on top of the low shelf that made up the support for the railing.

"Wait, what?" Donna asked, baffled.

"These books are from your future. You don't want to read ahead and spoil all the surprises, do you? It's like peeking at the end!"

"But isn't traveling with you one, big spoiler?" Donna proposed before smirking as the Doctor struggled to come up with a retort.

"Well, I… You see… I… Hmm, well, I _try_ to keep you away from major plot developments," the Doctor defended himself before grimacing, "Which, to be honest, I seem to be very bad at."

"No kidding," Sara agreed. "Your driving record, for one, is spotty at best."

"Oi!" The Doctor protested loudly. "I'm a brilliant driver for being the only pilot in a six-pilot ship!"

Penny winced before whispering, "Doctor, it's a library. Don't we have to be quiet?"

"Well, normally, I'd agree, but the place is _completely empty_!" He shouted the last two words over the railing in demonstration. He turned to the mortified younger girl, "There's no one here but us, which is strange because it's a Friday afternoon, and this place should be absolutely hopping with people, but… it's silent…" Abruptly, he pushed away from the railing and walked over to one of the large green structures that the women had assumed was part of a decoration. Pulling out the sonic, he hacked into the terminal.

"What, the Library?" Donna asked dryly.

"No, the planet, the whole planet. It's quiet."

"Well, maybe it's Sunday. I mean, Sara has a point, you've been known to get a bit off course on occasion."

"No, I never land on Sundays, Sundays are boring!" The Doctor proclaimed petulantly.

"Well... Maybe everyone's really, really quiet. This_ is_ a library. I'm just surprised we haven't been kicked out yet," Donna noted.

"Yeah, maybe, but they'd still show up on the system…Ooh, now, _that's_ interesting."

"What is?" Penny asked, trying to peek around the Time Lord's lanky form that blocked a good view of the terminal.

"Scanning for life forms," the Doctor answered indulgently, glancing at the red head before subtly shifting aside so her view was less obscured. "If I do a scan looking for your basic humanoids - you know, your book readers, few limbs and a face - apart from us, the place is empty, see?" Indeed, on the screen, it said, '_Filtered humanoid life form scan: 4. Complete.' _The Doctor gestured to it and reiterated the results out loud, "Zip, zilch, nada. Nobody home."

"But what about the person who sent for us in the first place with your psychic paper?" Donna cried. "Did we just get sent on some wild goose chase?"

"Well, here's the thing, Donna, girls, when I widen the parameters to any kind of life..." He pressed some keys emphatically, and the numbers on the screen started flickering hurriedly, growing more numerous before a noise was heard indicating an error, which made a steady dinging alarm. The words now read, '_Error. 1,000,000,000,000: life form number capped at maximum record.' _The Doctor shook his head. "A million, million…gives up after that. A million, million life forms and yet there's silence in the library…"

"D'you think that these million, million whatever-they-are's sent those messages?" Donna mused as the Doctor glanced around, a completely baffled expression on his face. Donna continued, "But, the thing is, though, there is no one here, there's just books. I mean, it's not the books, is it?" The Doctor stopped his examination of the nearby environment slowly, lowering his gaze down at the books he had confiscated and placed on the shelf. "I mean, it can't be the books, can it?" The Doctor didn't cease staring at the two books innocuously lying on the ledge. Donna finally noticed where the Doctor was looking and faltered, "I mean…books…can't be alive...can they?"

The Time Lord finally lifted his gaze to his companion and they exchanged a look before they both stared at the two novels. Slowly, the two of them edged towards the books and reached out to touch them cautiously. Sara rolled her eyes, scoffing quietly to herself, "You two are being ridiculous."

However, despite her words, she jumped like everyone else when there came a sudden cry of 'Welcome!' Penny let out a startled yelp and Sara coughed, while the Doctor and Donna gasped. Hearts all pounding and thoroughly embarrassed, the small group exchanged glances before gesturing back to the reception area.

"Sounds like it came from back there?" Sara offered.

"Yeah…"

"We should probably…"

"Yeah…"

"And not mention this ever again?"

"Yeah…"

All four of them hurriedly walked up the steps.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They raced down the hall, hearts pounding in terror. The lights continued to go out behind them, one by one, the shadows coming closer and closer. The Doctor slammed against a pair of large wooden doors and attempted to open them but found them secured. "Come on," he growled, shoving his weight against it.

"What, is it locked?" Donna asked frantically, whipping her head between the Doctor and the threat that was closing in on all four of them.

"The Vashta Nerada." Penny whispered and Sara clung to her friend desperately watching the looming darkness.

"Jammed," the Doctor corrected tersely. "The wood's warped."

"Doctor," Sara warned. "Think of something quick. They're coming."

"Sonic it!" Donna suggested.

"I can't," the Doctor snapped. "It's made out of wood."

"It doesn't do wood? Are you serious right now?!" Donna exclaimed.

Penny whimpered, squeezed her eyes shut, and covered her ears with her hands, unable to bare watching the Vashta Nerada swarm coming for them nor listen to the ominous sound of each light being forcibly shut off. The Doctor started to speak quickly, "Hang on, hang on, if I can vibrate the molecules, fry the bindings, I can shatterline the interface, and-"

"Oh, just get out of the way," Donna barked. "_Move_, Spaceman." The Time Lord obliged and Donna kicked them open, sending the doors slamming into the wall. Sara, grabbed ahold of Penny and dragged her inside the room, away from the doors. The Doctor and Donna slammed them closed with their body weight and the alien slid a thick book between the handles to ensure that the entrance couldn't be readily opened again without a struggle. They were effectively sealed inside.

Gasping, all four of them just struggled to breathe, their racing heartbeats slowly returning to normal. The Doctor turned around, noticing the floating wooden ball in the middle of the room. "Oh, hello!" He greeted, drawing everyone's attention to it. Politely, he continued, "Sorry to burst in on you like this. Okay if we stop here for a bit?" In response, the lens on the floating sphere snapped tightly shut and it fell heavily to the ground.

"Well, obviously, it doesn't like you," Sara jibed making the Doctor tsk. "Maybe you shouldn't touch it."

"What even is it?" Donna asked subdued, cautiously approaching it.

The Time Lord was right behind her, frowning in introspection. "It's a security camera, switched itself off and_ not_ because it didn't like me. I'm a likeable person!" He nudged the wooden orb with his foot before picking it up. Sara scowled, knowing what the droid represented, pressing her lips together to maintain her silence. It was a paradox and she couldn't risk damage to this timeline by causing interference.

"Except when you're being a great, big, outer-space dunce," Donna quipped. "How do you know it won't shoot lasers at you?"

He gave her an exasperated look. "I said security _camera_, not security _guard_. Although, the guard is probably at the other end, if it isn't automated." He turned it over in his hands, examining it curiously as he rested on his knees. Bringing out his sonic screwdriver, he settled on the ground and crossed his legs. Exhausted, Penny plopped on the ground and sat there while Sara went to sit on one of the many large desks. Donna remained standing and began to wander around the room instead. The Doctor soniced the closed camera lens and absently said, "Well done, Donna, with the doors. Where'd you learn that?"

"Yeah, well, you know, boyfriends... sometimes you need the element of surprise. What was that you said before? Vash Ronda?" The second half was directed at the two girls who were sitting on their respective seats and they briefly winced at their unintended exclamation.

"Vashta Nerada," Sara corrected. The damage was already done and the Doctor was soon to find out about those organisms nevertheless. "Those weren't just shadows, but a swarm of tiny creatures."

"They'll eat anything with meat," Penny continued quietly, subdued. "Nothing can stop them…" She paused, thoughtful. "Well, maybe bug spray?"

Sara snorted with laughter while the Doctor exhaled a long-suffering sigh. "I doubt it," he told his youngest ward, pausing in his work. To Donna, he explained, "The piranhas of the air, as they are not so affectionately known as. Literally, their name means 'the shadows that melt the flesh.' Most planets have them, but usually in small clusters. I've never seen an infestation on this scale, or this aggressive. Without a doubt, they're the million, million life forms that we detected earlier." He turned back to his work on the camera.

"Wait, most planets?" Donna repeated nervously. "Not Earth, right? I mean, we'd know if there was something like that back at home."

"Mmm, Earth, a billion other worlds, even Gallifrey had a small swarm here and there. Where there's meat, there's Vashta Nerada. You can see them sometimes, if you look, the dust in sunbeams… Normally, they live on road kill or other carrion found in various parts of the world, but sometimes people go missing…" He paused ominously. "Not everyone comes back out of the dark."

A heavy silence followed that remark, filled only by the halting sounds of the screwdriver buzzing and warbling. Abruptly, the Doctor shouted, "Aha!" The three other occupants in the room jumped, startled. He had succeeded in opening the lid to the lens. The wooden orb let out distressed sounding beeps and the Doctor's eyes widened as he read the words that appeared on the small black screen, begging him to stop. "Oh, I'm sorry, really, I am. I didn't realize, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Gently, he set down the sphere and informed his companions, "It's alive."

"Told you not to touch it." Sara muttered for which the Doctor looked at her introspectively.

Donna was perplexed. "What? I thought you said it was a security camera, not a security guard."

"It _is_ a security camera, an alive one." The Doctor slowly stood up, gazing down on the wooden orb, completely bewildered. Donna came to stand next to him while Penny leaned over from her spot on the floor, the three of them peering at it curiously. Meanwhile, Sara was watching the ground intently for any shadows to appear, apprehensively gazing around the room and refusing to let her guard down.

_OTHERS ARE COMING._

The orb flashed in warning.

_THE LIBRARY IS BREACHED. OTHERS ARE COMING._

"Others?" Donna echoed in confusion. "What does it mean 'others'?" The Doctor shrugged helplessly when his eldest companion turned to look at him. Penny was eyeing the sphere in interest and Sara was still, utterly tense while staring at the floor, neither of them offering Donna an explanation. Huffing, she turned around and marched over to the robot. "Hey," she demanded. "What's that thing mean by others?"

The Doctor scoffed, "Yeah, like that thing is going to help you, barely more than Siri app on an iPhone."

"A what?" Donna asked.

"Oh, it hard to keep track sometimes," the Doctor sighed. "Siri won't be officially released as an interface for the iPhone for another two years in your time, not until October 2011. Something to look forward to, I s'pose."

"I told you that you were one, big spoiler!" Donna exclaimed before turning back to the node. "Look, can you just tell me what that security camera meant by-"

"Look out!" Sara shouted, hopping away from the desk she had been sitting on, causing everyone else to jump, startled. "Don't move, that shadow's infected!"

"'Count the shadows,'" the Doctor muttered grimly as he tugged both himself and Donna away from the long shadow that didn't quite touch the orb that had been set down. "We've forgotten. Only been a few minutes and we've forgotten. Good job, Sara, keeping us on task when I can't, cause I'm _thick_!" He barked out that last word, pacing with nervous anxiety. "Look at me, I'm old and thick! Head's too full of stuff, I need a bigger head!" He hit himself on the forehead before whirling around and taking a few steps towards one of the corridors in the room before halting quite suddenly, staring at the flickering light.

"Power must be going," Donna offered, not wanting to accept the truth that they were indeed all in grave danger and trapped in the room that they had earlier sought as refuge.

"This place runs on fission cells," the Doctor informed her grimly. "They'll out burn the sun."

"Th-Then why is it d-dark?" Penny stammered, trembling in her position on the floor, suddenly frozen in dread.

"It's not dark, Penelope." The Doctor was in consternation. Was he not warned about these events? _'The Vashta Nerada will eat us alive.' _Laura's voice echoed distantly in his mind.

Donna turned around to look at the shadow they first saw only to see that it had disappeared. Blindly, she reached out and tugged on the Doctor's sleeve, not daring to tear her gaze away from that spot on the floor in case it was a trick. "That shadow," she breathed as the Doctor turned. "It's gone."

"We need to get back to the TARDIS," he stated flatly, eyes scanning quickly around the room as he searched for evidence of where the shadow might have relocated. "You were right, Sara, we shouldn't have come here." He should have done a better job listening to his wards rather then cutting them off mid-sentence. Running his hands through his hair, he grimaced. Another mistake. He had put everyone in danger.

On that ominous note, everyone became duly alarmed when the node suddenly spoke, giving the same warning as the wooden orb, repeating the same sentence over and over again, "Reminder: the Library has been breached, others are coming. Reminder: the Library has been breached, others are coming. Reminder: the Library has been breached..."

Sara got up and slowly made her way to Penny, who had gathered the wooden orb into her hands and tenderly clutched it close to her person. The Doctor grabbed Donna's hand, starting to walk over to his wards when there came a sudden flash of light, blinding them temporarily as they ducked away from the shower of sparks. The book that had been using to keep the entrance sealed disintegrated and the doors were kicked open.

Through the smoke emerged six people in space suits, Sara relaxed, smiling briefly while placing a hand on Penny's shoulder in reassurance. The lead in the space suit, stopped halfway between the girls and the Doctor before reaching up to press a button on her helmet that made the visor transparent. "_Hello_, Sweetie," she greeted, her manner flirtatious as she smiled at the Time Lord in front of her before directing her gaze to Sara and Penny, giving them a wink. "Hello, ducks."

Sara blinked in confusion, mouthing the word, _"Ducks?"_

**Author's Note: Please read chapter 15 of Living Fiction to avoid some confusion first regarding this chapter. Sorry for the wait but here is the next chapter finally. Hope you all enjoy. Thanks to Christy-Flare for her idea regarding Sara's future knowledge. (But Sara is a terrible liar!) Still it was fun to use it. Thanks to LovelyAmberLight for her inspiration as always.**


End file.
